IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers

Wednesday, June 29th, 2016 12:56am CDT

Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al Views: 24,694

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Wreck, Rule
(Spoiler free-ish)

Synopsis
THIS IS THE END! Will PROWL get his comeuppance? Will TARANTULAS conquer all? Will any of the WRECKERS survive? It’s wreck and rule one last time, with everything on the line!

Transformers News: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers

Quite the hook

Story

Remember when we last talked about Sins of the Wreckers? Remember how I mentioned that issue #4 felt very much like an ending, and hoped that the actual end would live up to it? Even if you don't, I say it here, again: issue #5 is the ending that the series built to, prepared for, and ultimately, deserves. Let me tell you why.

This guy, mostly

I will not spoil the book, there will be plenty of time for that in the discussion that will follow, I will point out, though, some of the highest notes that Nick Roche has achieved in this brief but in-depth plunge back into the world of one of more messed up teams in the IDWverse. Above all, the scheming and betrayal that runs deep and leads back to Prowl, always Prowl, and his machinations, and his creations - Tarantulas, Kup, Verity, the secret police, is everything his fault?

Pretty much

We found out some of the dirty secrets last issue, but even more comes out this time: feelings of hurt, revenge, coping mechanisms, catharsis, and violence. A lot of violence, and characters forged through that violence and *bad stuff*. What we obtain is the strange mix of strength and weakness, as the two sides of the same coin - with emotion running all along the thin edge, the gut-wrenching type that comes with *bad stuff*.

Whodat

If you're looking for Overlord levels of manipulation, but with an even stronger psychological connection between characters themselves, and creator and readers, this is the book you should pick up. It's raw, and still edited. It's hard to swallow, but it flow smoothly. It's good. You should read it.

Art

Roche is still very good at the storytelling happening in visual form too, though it should come as no surprise by now. Where the dialogue might risk to overpower the scene, the quieter frames actually allow for a wider scope, and a much deafening, visually speaking, effect. Towards the end, at the climax of the Tarantulas confrontation, you will explicitly see how words are not always needed.

...'

Josh Burcham needs a lot of credit here, as the issue and the series look like nothing before in the IDWverse - even considering previous Roche projects, and Spotlight: Kup, of which we see many references in the series - as his colours are exquisitely apt and decisive for the full spectrum of greys (metaphor) used in the strands of the book. And some of the wider pages would lose a lot of their power without the colours.

And of course, the Noisemaze

The lettering is fantastic, as it has been for the series so far, combining the visual power of size and colour with the fontwork that Tom B. Long can bring to a Transformers book. The silences become clearer, the beastly fonts give voices extra layers, and you can see-hear everything, even in the mess of the Noisemaze. As for covers, not only do we get another Roche/Burcham piece mirroring the first issue, we have the return of two Transformers favourites in E.J. Su (see preview thumbnail) and Guido Guidi (this thumbnail), with their takes on Wreckers past and present.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

There have been delays, and they were fully justified - read more by Roche himself here - but even before knowing anything about the author's personal life, the issue, and the series as a result, is a strong, emotional, intense, heartfelt, harrowing, powerful, and most of all human piece of art. It deals with the horrors of emotions, of war, of betrayal, of anguish. It reaches, hard, for hearts and sparks alike. It wrecks.

Those eyes

The conclusion is satisfying without being exhaustive, it keeps threads closed where they should and others open where they can. This was never one story, but a knot in a web of stories: there is no one single thread that would allow for a neat resolution. So it gives many, and does so in words, it does so in pictures, it does so in in ways that only this medium allows. It rules.

out of

Credit(s): IDW, Dr Va'al

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Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801684)
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 29th, 2016 @ 3:07am CDT

Great review Va'al. I'm going to try and pick this up in its collected form

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801753)
Posted by Tigertrack on June 29th, 2016 @ 9:55am CDT

Awesome review for a final issue, Va'al. I'm working on my own for TFVSGIGJOE, and I doubt it will be quite as eloquent, heartfelt, or even well thought out.

I was let down a couple times (and more when considering MTMTE), but mostly because characters did not act how I wanted them to or their ends were not what I wanted, but they instead acted in the manner in which they had been written and portrayed previously, realistically based on their former relationships and experiences within the written IDW-verse. It's hard to lose so many favorite characters recently because of how others portray them compared to how you 'think' they are in your own starry-eyed little chunk of fandom-reality.

I was glad to see the results of the end. I hope to see more. It was satisfying, and yet, not quite satisfying enough, you know?

ZeroWolf and others who want to wait, I suggest picking up this version, the collected, the hardcover collected when it comes out, and of course, a digital collected version as well. WHY you might ask would you do that and own so many copies of the same thing? To support this thing we like, to encourage the artist and creator to do more, to encourage the company that this product, this piece of creative art and literature is something we want to see more of.

It was worth the wait. It was worth the wait after Last Stand to get another Wreckers story. It was worth the wait while Nick (yeah, Nick he and I are like this so I can use his first name--

NOT--wish we were, but I can't be one of those social media stalkers...) went through his family's struggles and losing someone too early, and the birth of his child the ultimate in positive life energy-- to get to issue #4 and then finally #5.

Nick does what he should in his profession. He leaves us wanting more because his stuff is really that good. The episodic nature of his work: issue by issue, and then series by series really does that. I hope he gets the opportunity to do more, and that we don't have to wait as long for the coming of what's next.

Congratulations on finishing another exceptional, and I hope, award-winning series. Congratulations on your +1 achievement on adding a child to your family. Sins really leveled up Last Stand, and I loved Last Stand. Looking forward to the next Wreckers/Transformers adventure that you cook up.

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801782)
Posted by Randomhero on June 29th, 2016 @ 10:37am CDT

The other day Nick posted on his blog why this series met with so many delays. Anyone interested please give it a read but fair warning it's very sad and he did not have to do this. His personal life is none of our business. I commend him for opening up. It shows how much he cares about this book and the fans

http://nickroche.blogspot.com

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801796)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 29th, 2016 @ 10:52am CDT

Overall it was a good read.

Also: Look at Springers rear wheels in that last panel. There is a little spider in the wheel well. Tarantulas lives! And he's with his "son" basically so I suppose he is somewhat happy

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801806)
Posted by 1984forever on June 29th, 2016 @ 11:19am CDT

Dr Va'al wrote:
D-Maximus_Primal wrote:And you must remember this: deviations was a one off. It only beat the ongoingings by a few hundred comics and it was a single. Singles should sell easily. the one and the only.

The post is great, and I agree. Just one note - even in single hardcopies, Deviations sold fewer copies.

Dr Va'al wrote:Sure, here. From Comichron.

March 2016
Transformers More Than Meets Eye 10,439
Transformers Deviations 9,196

On another note...

avisie wrote:I see the characters considering the consequences of war and their conduct during the conflict (maybe not Guzzle) and I feel that it is handled well. We have a shed load of new and interesting characters, the return of a fan favourite in Springer and even more intrigue and depth to the enigma that is Prowl.

Yes. This. Very well put, and spot on.
Review tomorroooooow!

MTMTE # 50 which was supposed to be released in FEB sold over 10,000. Deviations which was a March release, beat MTMTE #51 (8124) which was also released in March. 2000 readers lost in 2 weeks, wow. The whole SOTW is just another nail in the coffin.

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801808)
Posted by Tigertrack on June 29th, 2016 @ 11:34am CDT

1984forever wrote:
Dr Va'al wrote:
D-Maximus_Primal wrote:And you must remember this: deviations was a one off. It only beat the ongoingings by a few hundred comics and it was a single. Singles should sell easily. the one and the only.

The post is great, and I agree. Just one note - even in single hardcopies, Deviations sold fewer copies.

Dr Va'al wrote:Sure, here. From Comichron.

March 2016
Transformers More Than Meets Eye 10,439
Transformers Deviations 9,196

On another note...

avisie wrote:I see the characters considering the consequences of war and their conduct during the conflict (maybe not Guzzle) and I feel that it is handled well. We have a shed load of new and interesting characters, the return of a fan favourite in Springer and even more intrigue and depth to the enigma that is Prowl.

Yes. This. Very well put, and spot on.
Review tomorroooooow!

MTMTE # 50 which was supposed to be released in FEB sold over 10,000. Deviations which was a March release, beat MTMTE #51 (8124) which was also released in March. 2000 readers lost in 2 weeks, wow. The whole SOTW is just another nail in the coffin.

I'm going to disagree, but certainly you can have your opinion!

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801810)
Posted by Randomhero on June 29th, 2016 @ 11:42am CDT

Tigertrack wrote:
1984forever wrote:
Dr Va'al wrote:
D-Maximus_Primal wrote:And you must remember this: deviations was a one off. It only beat the ongoingings by a few hundred comics and it was a single. Singles should sell easily. the one and the only.

The post is great, and I agree. Just one note - even in single hardcopies, Deviations sold fewer copies.

Dr Va'al wrote:Sure, here. From Comichron.

March 2016
Transformers More Than Meets Eye 10,439
Transformers Deviations 9,196

On another note...

avisie wrote:I see the characters considering the consequences of war and their conduct during the conflict (maybe not Guzzle) and I feel that it is handled well. We have a shed load of new and interesting characters, the return of a fan favourite in Springer and even more intrigue and depth to the enigma that is Prowl.

Yes. This. Very well put, and spot on.
Review tomorroooooow!

MTMTE # 50 which was supposed to be released in FEB sold over 10,000. Deviations which was a March release, beat MTMTE #51 (8124) which was also released in March. 2000 readers lost in 2 weeks, wow. The whole SOTW is just another nail in the coffin.

I'm going to disagree, but certainly you can have your opinion!

Don't respond to his comments tiger. He's hust here to troll. Like all IDW threads. Just ignore him

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801812)
Posted by Va'al on June 29th, 2016 @ 11:57am CDT

Randomhero wrote:The other day Nick posted on his blog why this series met with so many delays. Anyone interested please give it a read but fair warning it's very sad and he did not have to do this. His personal life is none of our business. I commend him for opening up. It shows how much he cares about this book and the fans

http://nickroche.blogspot.com

I linked to that in the review too, and we've had it floating about the thread as well - but well worth the read.

I agree with the cautions.

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801817)
Posted by Tigertrack on June 29th, 2016 @ 12:03pm CDT

Randomhero wrote:Don't respond to his comments tiger. He's hust here to troll. Like all IDW threads. Just ignore him

Thanks Rh, I lurk more than I post lately, and I read a lot from you guys that I enjoy, and I see others coming in too that offer great ideas to consider and things that I have missed.

I've seen 1984's work too. I can see where some of his beliefs are coming from, even if I don't agree with everything. I know he is staunch in his feelings and opinion...unwavering, and that's cool for him. I understand that IDW doesn't do everything that I want with the characters and plots as well, and thus can relate to that piece.

Look forward to hearing your response to SOTW Randomhero!

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801818)
Posted by 1984forever on June 29th, 2016 @ 12:05pm CDT

Randomhero wrote:
Tigertrack wrote:
1984forever wrote:
Dr Va'al wrote:
D-Maximus_Primal wrote:And you must remember this: deviations was a one off. It only beat the ongoingings by a few hundred comics and it was a single. Singles should sell easily. the one and the only.

The post is great, and I agree. Just one note - even in single hardcopies, Deviations sold fewer copies.

Dr Va'al wrote:Sure, here. From Comichron.

March 2016
Transformers More Than Meets Eye 10,439
Transformers Deviations 9,196

On another note...

avisie wrote:I see the characters considering the consequences of war and their conduct during the conflict (maybe not Guzzle) and I feel that it is handled well. We have a shed load of new and interesting characters, the return of a fan favourite in Springer and even more intrigue and depth to the enigma that is Prowl.

Yes. This. Very well put, and spot on.
Review tomorroooooow!

MTMTE # 50 which was supposed to be released in FEB sold over 10,000. Deviations which was a March release, beat MTMTE #51 (8124) which was also released in March. 2000 readers lost in 2 weeks, wow. The whole SOTW is just another nail in the coffin.

I'm going to disagree, but certainly you can have your opinion!

Don't respond to his comments tiger. He's hust here to troll. Like all IDW threads. Just ignore him

People are only trolls here when they disagree with the masses it seems.

Anyways I believe that SOTW could have been salvaged as late as #5 if IDW stopped paying all staff working on the book. People are more creative when they're hungry.

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801824)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 29th, 2016 @ 12:14pm CDT

1984forever wrote:MTMTE # 50 which was supposed to be released in FEB sold over 10,000. Deviations which was a March release, beat MTMTE #51 (8124) which was also released in March. 2000 readers lost in 2 weeks, wow. The whole SOTW is just another nail in the coffin.

Again, those are american hard copies only. No international nor online sales. And people may like to buy hard copies of more memorable issues (since it was #50 and such).

As for sins, I think it turned out to be a good book. Last Stand was still in wartime and was supposed to be a big fight. This was more dealing with what happened during the war and the consequences of the actions. It wasn't a real evil villain like Overlord, but more of a complex villain and some antagonists that were geared more towards doing what they thought was right than going against the actual heroes.

And the pages with Springer and Tarantulas where the words were being left out was very cool and well done

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801830)
Posted by Tigertrack on June 29th, 2016 @ 12:29pm CDT

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:
1984forever wrote:MTMTE # 50 which was supposed to be released in FEB sold over 10,000. Deviations which was a March release, beat MTMTE #51 (8124) which was also released in March. 2000 readers lost in 2 weeks, wow. The whole SOTW is just another nail in the coffin.

Again, those are american hard copies only. No international nor online sales. And people may like to buy hard copies of more memorable issues (since it was #50 and such).

As for sins, I think it turned out to be a good book. Last Stand was still in wartime and was supposed to be a big fight. This was more dealing with what happened during the war and the consequences of the actions. It wasn't a real evil villain like Overlord, but more of a complex villain and some antagonists that were geared more towards doing what they thought was right than going against the actual heroes.

And the pages with Springer and Tarantulas where the words were being left out was very cool and well done

I can't wait to read it again, where it's not the review copy on my ipad. Looks like I'll pick up the hard copy tomorrow, but yeah, very well said. Overlord was over the top, and the Wreckers were all wrecking it and stuff. But now Mesothulias, he's a good guy gone bad so to speak, messed up by what he did in the war in the name of supposed friendship and science, dealing with betrayal (not well), after it was all done.

I may want a Prowl who is much more worthy of being a hero (from my childhood eyes), which Springer thankfully still is in this series, but the way it is all written and put together makes it feel real. Guzzle and Kup's reactions to their manipulations were also noteworthy... and something you did not see in Last Stand, or even coming based on their relationship in last stand.

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801838)
Posted by Carnivius_Prime on June 29th, 2016 @ 12:50pm CDT

I dunno why I stuck with this series. I try so hard to find a modern Transformers comic I enjoy but IDW's stuff just doesn't do it for me at all. Regeneration One, despite it's flaws, was the only thing they've published that I really got into and a lot of that was probably just down to it being a continuation of Marvel (though the US and not my preferred UK version). I think I mainly got this cos it had a new Carnivac in it but I dunno. It's just not for me.

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801840)
Posted by Tigertrack on June 29th, 2016 @ 12:54pm CDT

Carnivius_Prime wrote:I dunno why I stuck with this series. I try so hard to find a modern Transformers comic I enjoy but IDW's stuff just doesn't do it for me at all. Regeneration One, despite it's flaws, was the only thing they've published that I really got into and a lot of that was probably just down to it being a continuation of Marvel (though the US and not my preferred UK version). I think I mainly got this cos it had a new Carnivac in it but I dunno. It's just not for me.

Hmm... I'm currently re-reading all the previous Marvel and UK stuff. As I've seen more ways to have the characters interact with each other, the new writing is so much more 'realistic' as far as dialogue and actions go.

I did enjoy REGEN. Are you looking for Simon Furman writing to come back? Did you like any of the previous IDW Furman written stuff? Did you like Costa's stuff?

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1801951)
Posted by avisie on June 29th, 2016 @ 8:19pm CDT

Absolutely loved this issue; and the series as a whole. Tied up things pretty nicely and I'm glad that we still have Springer and Impactor with us. Gonna be interesting to see what Impactor and the Mayhems get up too and I was very satisfied to finally get some closure on Guzzle's vedettas. Artwork was awesome, as usual and the last page gave me such a rare and warm feeling that I'm still smiling an hour later. This series has jumped right into my top 5 TF stories and I think it's a great companion/sequel to LSOTW.

Huge respect to Mr Roche for producing such high quality work at such a testing time for him and his family.

Please,please let their be a next one. Like Springer says, their lives have to go back to being 'normal' at some point!

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1803994)
Posted by Va'al on July 8th, 2016 @ 12:39pm CDT

Are there any questions, on the series or the issue, that people would like the Mainframes bunch to discuss on a podcast? There is *A Lot* to work with here, but I'm curious about other points of view on this book!

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1804023)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on July 8th, 2016 @ 2:35pm CDT

2 things:

1) Guzzle finally going for his vengeance against Kup

2) Where will the "Survivors" go from here? Are we headed towards a Survivors storyline?

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1804038)
Posted by Va'al on July 8th, 2016 @ 2:55pm CDT

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:2 things:

1) Guzzle finally going for his vengeance against Kup

2) Where will the "Survivors" go from here? Are we headed towards a Survivors storyline?

A certain R word was used, too... let's see if there's some sort of ..evolution to follow.

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1804050)
Posted by RevTibe on July 8th, 2016 @ 3:38pm CDT

Couple of discussion points;

Roche half-jokingly mentioned that it was tough writing a sequel on account of all the characters who bit the dust in Last Stand. Following from that, what aspects of Sins seem like lessons learned from Last Stand? (The stronger sequel hooks being the most obvious example.)

Thoughts on how Sins was integrated into the main IDW storyline? Perhaps some of you would have preferred more or less integration?

More generally speaking, this is the third path IDW has taken to introducing Beast Wars characters to a G1 continuity (the other two being via colony, or that they're normal Cybertronians a la Rhinox and Rattrap). Thoughts on the three paths, including BW characters in a G1 era story etc?

Re: IDW Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 Review #SinsOfTheWreckers (1804065)
Posted by Va'al on July 8th, 2016 @ 4:18pm CDT

Those are EXCELLENT points, thank you RevTibe!

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