IDW Transformers: Unicron #6 Alex Milne Cover Revealed

Why did he have to include that bit of Kup dying...I was trying to forget that series. Though it also looks like that's the only but of Megatron we'll see in this mini series

@Will thanks for posting your thoughts on this, especially on your take on Unicron. While it is different, I do wish it had been different from the take they went with. I would have loved them to have presented us with a Unicron that was akin to the elder gods of the Cthuthulu Mythos. Or if they want him to be silent, then make it an allusion to him seeing the TFs as ants, and we don't have conversations with ants before we deal with them do we. It's a shame as I love the look of this Unicron, and I would throw money at Hasbro to have a toy of it (In fact I bet that the people who have done the recent Tarn non-transforming statue would handle something like this)

When is the reboot happening, I've lost interest in this version of transformers, too many other titles, I would like one book so I didn't need to get 100 other books to know what is going on.

ZeroWolf wrote:@Will thanks for posting your thoughts on this, especially on your take on Unicron. While it is different, I do wish it had been different from the take they went with. I would have loved them to have presented us with a Unicron that was akin to the elder gods of the Cthuthulu Mythos. Or if they want him to be silent, then make it an allusion to him seeing the TFs as ants, and we don't have conversations with ants before we deal with them do we.

All great points, I fully agree with. And I dont mind silent Unicron, as long as it shows it has agency of its own. But this one doesnt, its just an automated deathstar. You know what this treatment of Unicron reminds me of? 2 things:

- Ultimate/Movie Galactus: Just an entity devoid of any personality that was very boring to have as an antagonist and only shared similarities in name and some visual cues.
- Bane from Batman and Robin: looks like Bane, has Bane's name, even his powers but is just a brain dead pastiche of what we think of when we think of Bane. This is what this Unicron is.

Of all the ideas they could have had for an interpretation of Unicron, this is the most dull Barber could have gone with.

ausbot wrote:When is the reboot happening, I've lost interest in this version of transformers, too many other titles, I would like one book so I didn't need to get 100 other books to know what is going on.

Next year. There are six issues remaining of the current continuity, two this month, four in October.

ausbot wrote:When is the reboot happening, I've lost interest in this version of transformers, too many other titles, I would like one book so I didn't need to get 100 other books to know what is going on.

Arent there like only 3 books, one of them being a miniseries? And both Optimus Prime and Lost Light are independent of eachother so you dont need one to know what is going on in the other.
And i dont think the reboot will mean less books.

Amusing to see a picture of Thunderwing (The Forgotten) on that cover and being so prominent...

After getting a glimpse at Alex Milne's cover for Unicron #6, we have yet another cover from the final IDW universe ending issue, this time at the hands of its original artist: EJ Su! The final issue cover gives us Unicron in the background as Optimus Prime poses like Christ on the cross and with a slight glow around him, while Soundwave, Starscream, Bumblebee, and Windblade's heads all float around him. EJ Su was the original IDW Transformers artist, penciling the Infiltration, Escalation, and Devastation series, in addition to spotlights around the same time and some covers and interiors since.

Check it out below, and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

AUG180714
(W) John Barber (A) Alex Milne (CA) E. J. Su
EARTH WAR! With Unicron's ultimate goal revealed, the shaky alliance of Autobots and Decepticons is all that stands between Earth and the planet-eater. Heroes will rise-and fall-as Optimus Prime journeys into the dark heart of Unicron for the final confrontation with evil. At stake: the soul of a universe.

This is it! The end of an era! Finishing off 13 years' worth of continuity with a bang!
A double-sized story for the ages!
Don't miss the cover by the man who introduced the IDW age of Transformers: E.J. Su!
In Shops: Oct 24, 2018
Final Orders Due: Oct 01, 2018

Why does Starscreams face look off in that cover? The rest look fine, it's just his.

ZeroWolf wrote:Why does Starscreams face look off in that cover? The rest look fine, it's just his.

Agreed. That was the only face I could not recognized until I read the post. Odd eh?

ZeroWolf wrote:Why does Starscreams face look off in that cover? The rest look fine, it's just his.

Cause his whole head and helmet is rounded on the same contours, the traditional helmet is more blocky and angular

that looks SWEET

ZeroWolf wrote:Why does Starscreams face look off in that cover? The rest look fine, it's just his.

they all look off to me. hell, windblade almost always looks off to me cos she has such a ridiculous head design.

ZeroWolf wrote:Why does Starscreams face look off in that cover? The rest look fine, it's just his.

I didn't even notice with the subtle Optimus Crucifix shoved front and centre

Prime doesn't even look like that. His arms are outstretched, but he's flexing them, as if in triumph. He doesn't look like he's being crucified. It's a pretty good cover, though.

For those keeping track, Unicron 5 has been pushed from next week to 10/10. Unicron 6 has moved from 10/24 to 10/31.

Knowing that Andrew Griffith is/was a last minute tag-in to help with some pages on 6 makes me think that one might get pushed into November.

ScottyP wrote:For those keeping track, Unicron 5 has been pushed from next week to 10/10. Unicron 6 has moved from 10/24 to 10/31.

Knowing that Andrew Griffith is/was a last minute tag-in to help with some pages on 6 makes me think that one might get pushed into November.

So that would mean we would get the epilogue before the final chapter? I know unicron as a miniseries has spoiled what happens in Op but for op then to spoil the ending of unicron...

ZeroWolf wrote:

ScottyP wrote:For those keeping track, Unicron 5 has been pushed from next week to 10/10. Unicron 6 has moved from 10/24 to 10/31.

Knowing that Andrew Griffith is/was a last minute tag-in to help with some pages on 6 makes me think that one might get pushed into November.

So that would mean we would get the epilogue before the final chapter? I know unicron as a miniseries has spoiled what happens in Op but for op then to spoil the ending of unicron...

Current schedule would have them out on the same day, so I guess we'll see! If Unicron 6 gets pushed further then yeah, that would be a shame, assuming the solicits for OP 25 are to be believed.

Courtesy of IDW Publishing directly, and embargo dates passing, we have the full preview to share for this week's Transformers comics release in the form of Unicron #5 - the penultimate issue in the mini-series, and the end of the world as we know it!

The contents of the book do spoil a little of yet unreleased Optimus Prime #24, but nothing major from what is present in the preview below, so you're still clear to read if you're following the single issues. Take a look, and join us later this week for a Seibertron.com review and Energon Pub discussion!

Transformers: Unicron #5 (of 6)
John Barber (w) • Alex Milne (a & c)
THE END IS HERE! The Transformers bots make one last, desperate stand against Unicron, as Optimus Prime plunges deep into the monster—and into the dark history that spawned them both.
FC • 32 pages • $4.99

Bullet points:
• The final battle rages as Unicron attacks the Earth!
• Jam-packed with guest stars in a battle for survival—but will anyone make it out alive?
• Variant covers by Fico Ossio and Francesco Francavilla!

After this issue publishes, everything else will be "last issues" and conclusions.

I haven't read any of the Unicron books yet save for Zero.

Having BW characters as Unicron's minions or whatever is kind of a turn off. But I'll likely just binge read this entire series at some point.

I love how even Cobra is helping. Including three different Cobra Commanders.

Mr.MicroMaster wrote:I love how even Cobra is helping. Including three different Cobra Commanders.

Yeah, it’s hard to rule the world when someone else shows up and goes OM NOM NOM on it

Flashwave wrote:

Mr.MicroMaster wrote:I love how even Cobra is helping. Including three different Cobra Commanders.

Yeah, it’s hard to rule the world when someone else shows up and goes OM NOM NOM on it

My thoughts exactly.

Mr.MicroMaster wrote:

Flashwave wrote:

Mr.MicroMaster wrote:I love how even Cobra is helping. Including three different Cobra Commanders.

Yeah, it’s hard to rule the world when someone else shows up and goes OM NOM NOM on it

My thoughts exactly.

Till all are one.

Black Bumblebee wrote:After this issue publishes, everything else will be "last issues" and conclusions.

Still two issues of Optimus Prime left

In case anyone needs a reference or is curious:

"G2"

Va'al wrote:"G2"

I not sure I get it...

YoungPrime wrote:I haven't read any of the Unicron books yet save for Zero.

Having BW characters as Unicron's minions or whatever is kind of a turn off. But I'll likely just binge read this entire series at some point.

It's a fun nod to Armada, and Beast Wars Neo to a much lesser extent. I only bring up BWN since Drancron was one of the first ones seen back in OP 14 (or 13 or whenever the Throttlebots stuff was.)

ZeroWolf wrote:

Va'al wrote:"G2"

I not sure I get it...

Be forewarned that most jokes are not funny once explained and this will likely be one of those cases. Anyway, the middle of the scene has a big tub or container of Sparks. One of the few of them to become a Transformer so far is, more or less, G2 Sideswipe, hence the joke.

Mr.MicroMaster wrote:I love how even Cobra is helping. Including three different Cobra Commanders.

ok, I'm glad I'm not going insane when I saw that. Why in the world are there 3 Cobra Commanders...man i'm glad this is all coming to an end...

I also think I saw a G2 Sideswipe, but he's dead right...RIGHT???....

o.supreme wrote:

Mr.MicroMaster wrote:I love how even Cobra is helping. Including three different Cobra Commanders.

ok, I'm glad I'm not going insane when I saw that. Why in the world are there 3 Cobra Commanders...man i'm glad this is all coming to an end...

I also think I saw a G2 Sideswipe, but he's dead right...RIGHT???....

The reason there’s 3 Cobra Commanders is because there are 3 characters who have claimed that title: Krake (the dude in the cape) who led Cobra up until he disappeared between G.I. Joe vol. 3 and 4; Tomax (in the classic outfit) who took over leadership of Cobra from Krake but didn’t assume the Commander title until being forced into it by Baron Ironblood in Revolutionaries and now can’t remove the helmet; and the Baroness (in the cloth mask) who reorganized Cobra and declared herself the new Commander in G.I. Joe vol. 5.

Also, that G2 Sideswipe isn’t the same Sideswipe who died. He’s one of the new generation of protoforms that was born inside Trypticon back in OP #14.

I’m not sure you can really get mad if you haven’t read the other books.

No Review yet?

Anyway, I've read issue 5 and this flowed a lot better than the previous issue. Felt considerably less like an exposition dump than the previous issues, although there was quite a bit here too. The "reveal" (I guess?) with Nemesis seems to both come out of nowhere and perhaps dilute the already underwhelming portrayal of Unicron. My issues with the panel to panel layout of the art persist. I gave up even trying to follow the big air battle that takes place here. Which according to the Wiki, someone dies, but I couldn't tell you who or where.
This one I would give a 6.5/10. An improvement, still held back by the (haphazard) visual narrative.
Not quite sure how this is going to all be tied up in one more issue, so I am cynically expecting an epilogue/Coda piece to follow.

Yeah the epilogue is the last issue of Optimus Prime.

ZeroWolf wrote:Yeah the epilogue is the last issue of Optimus Prime.

After reading this issue, I thought that would be the case. Ta

Synopsis

THE END IS HERE! The Transformers make one last, desperate stand against Unicron, as Optimus Prime plunges deep into the monster—and into the dark history that spawned them both.



Story

So here we are once more, with the issue before the end, the final non-final issue. And as a windup to the ultimate climax, did the book deliver? Well, see below.



So here's the thing about this particular book: the pacing felt much better in this issue and it feels the more cohesive compared to the other issues so far. While it was not particularly full of action, it wasn't supposed to be, as it is the calm after the destruction of Cybertron and before the final confrontation before the universe truly ends. And Jetfire and Prowl even say as much.

It also takes place following the Optimus Prime 24 comic that came out a week later (see the review from earlier today!), so it was spoilerish to review, hence the review waiting to give people time to access and process that book.

It was also cool that this book managed to make itself a Hasbro Universe book, more so than really any other book done so far. And unlike past Hasbro U events, this one finally has a proper team up across the board, even if the events feel a bit rushed, pushed, or forced. But hey, at least we got a large part of this mad universe together in some fashion!



But the main issue I find in the story is the personalities of the people involved at times, as with little action and mainly setup, it feels like we got some big personalities that are clashing with each other more so than in previous issues. And with a grand total of 3 issues left in this Universe period after today with Optimus Prime 24, it feels like some of those characters may not get the ending of the story that they need or deserve. Slide is one that particularly bothers me, Spike is sort of there but not really, Prowl returning with a protege of sorts in Stardrive, and while Stardrive does play off nicely and her wraith moments are good, especially with other wraith-infected members, her taking a sort of Prowl approach doesn't really sit well with me, and it's kind of a bummer.

Shockwave is sort of still doing stuff, and the final standoff between masters of logic are set up, but I can't help but feel that this doesn't feel as rewarding as it should. The same way with the Maximals: we have memorable faces and names, but they have a small amount of lines between them, and nothing really to back them up beyond their mere recognizable appearance.

One thing the book definitely did get right though was Thundercracker, and as his story nears completion, I love the character that was made, and I love how he, Marissa, and Buster are a nice little family that loves and trusts each other. I also appreciated Trypticon and his direction, and the new generation and the protection so many feel over them. Well done there.



But again, overall I felt there was a little bit more clashing than there could have been with different characters, and the story reads a bit less cohesively as it could, but the pacing here felt good as a pseudo-breath catcher. We got good moments, just maybe not as powerful as they deserved to be.

art

Art duties fall for the second-to-last time to Alex Milne and David Garcia-Cruz, and once again they do a masterful job. The art for the series has been fantastic, but seeing the different parts of Unicron looming over Earth, and really getting a good idea of the scale of the robot mode Unicron compared to the Earth is pretty awesome. We finally get a good scale done right for Unicron.

Scale does seem to be a good strength of the book too, as we get Titans involved as well, and the background scenery is very well done considering we jump from the US to a destroyed Canadian cityscape to the African jungles to space. I appreciate the level of detail and the coloring that went into each shot as well. The colors are dark and foreboding where they are needed, vibrant and bright when action is intense or Unicron's glow is present, space is beautiful, and it does a good job of mixing together the darkness (figurative and literal) of the end while still bringing some natural beauty and properly expressing the mood of the series.



If there is one complaint I would have, it would be that the Decepticons in Africa almost appear too lightly colored compared to what we see later and are used to, but it's a minor nitpick.

Letters are handled by Tom B. Long, who does his level best (and succeeds) in making sure those previously discussed lines and colors are enjoyed to the fullest extent to give us proper scenery and people on screen while still delivering the dialogue. Kind of a cool thing to note too is Bludgeon and his speech bubbles. He continues the "God of Death" black bubbles for most of the issue, but there is a particular moment where he loses that, and he falls back to regular Bludgeon, and the lettering pulling that off was a neat touch.

Final Thoughts

When writing up this review, it was hard to give this book a score and proper credit. It's a pretty good book, a decent read, and fun to look at. But while it is a good book, it's not necessarily a good Transformers book. It tries its hardest, but ultimately, I think the overall series needed a little bit better pacing to make it a proper and good Transformers book, especially when this book showed that proper pacing can allow you to better grasp what is happening and allow you to breath for a second and take in what you are reading.



Make no mistake though, it's still not bad. It is fun, dark, has some good character moments, some questionable characters, kind of a lot going on to the point of a bit too much, but also clever, and it even managed to make "Titan-Mastering" a verb.

So should you read this? Yes, I think you should. Is this Lost Light 22 good? Not quite. Is it Wreckers Trilogy good? Not by a decent amount. But is it still worth your time and effort? I'd say yes. Unicron himself may not be everything we wanted him to be, but he looks amazing, and his story ultimately fits in with what the Mythos is for this universe.

Take it like that, and you can enjoy this issue as a whole.



As has become the theme for the Unicron reviews, this week's issue anthem is Rebirthing by Skillet!

Based on this issue I don't see most of the remaining '84 cast surviving. Guess we'll see! I do wish this and OP 24 had been wrapped into one book with the final battle actually starting with this chapter. There is a metric ton of plot to resolve in Unicron 6 now.

We have two pieces of news concerning the final chapter of the Unicron mini-series. Firstly, Scotty P has made us aware of a five page preview over at Comic Crusaders. For those unaware, this final issue is a double issue and Alex Milne will be accompanied by Sara Pitre-Durocher, Andrew Griffith, and Kei Zama for art duties.

The preview is below but before that we wanted to share a variant cover sent to us by artist John Paul Paras who also wrote to us the following:

I've been a Transformers fan all my life and when I heard they were doing a Unicron Mini Series, I knew I had to be apart of it. I wanted to do a cover homaging the Classic "Infinity Gauntlet" Issue 4 George Perez Cover. IDW and Hasbro approved of the concept and I was off into the creative phase. I wanted to show that although Unicron was small compared to vastness of space, he was ready to conquer it. KRSComics.com are taking Preorders for the Release date of November 14th. The Variant is limited to 500 copies and is only available their online. I'm proud to be apart of Transformers history and hope you guys enjoy my cover to Transformers Unicron issue #6.

Transformers: Unicron #6 (of 6)
Cover A: Alex Milne / Cover B: James Raiz
John Barber (w) • Alex Milne (a & c)

FC • 48 pages • $7.99

November 14 2018

This is it! The end of an era! Finishing off 13 years’ worth of continuity with a bang!

EARTH WAR!

With Unicron’s ultimate goal revealed, the shaky alliance of Autobots and Decepticons is all that stands between Earth and the planet-eater. Heroes will rise—and fall—as Optimus Prime journeys into the dark heart of Unicron for the final confrontation with evil. At stake: the soul of a universe.

Holy crap, Slide. You're... you're a special kind of idiot, aintcha?

Nexus Knight wrote:Holy crap, Slide. You're... you're a special kind of idiot, aintcha?

I don’t think anyone is suppose to like Slide but I can understand her. She believed in optimus. Saw him as a god and he indirectly got her brother killed. Not brother in arms, her actual brother, but not just her brother but her entire ability to transform. Her entire life has been ruined. She reminds me a lot of Prowls views on Megatron by the finale of Lost Light. It didn’t matter how much good he does he ruined lives and you can’t get passed that.

Randomhero wrote:

Nexus Knight wrote:Holy crap, Slide. You're... you're a special kind of idiot, aintcha?

I don’t think anyone is suppose to like Slide but I can understand her. She believed in optimus. Saw him as a god and he indirectly got her brother killed. Not brother in arms, her actual brother but not just her brother her, but not just her brother but her entire ability to transform. Her entire life has been ruined. She reminds me a lot of Prowls views on Megatron by the finale of Lost Light. It didn’t matter how much good he does he ruined lives and you can’t get passed that.

No, she has the right. OP took advantage of their faith and basically used it to build his army to take Earth. Oiler died because of Prime. The thing that makes her species unique was yanged away because of it. She has every right to be pissed. I'm talking about the time and place. People are literally dying around her and she is hesitating trying to help because she has a beef with the person leading the charge.

Anyways, who thinks Thundercracker is gonna bite Unicron's bullet?

Nexus Knight wrote:

Randomhero wrote:

Nexus Knight wrote:Holy crap, Slide. You're... you're a special kind of idiot, aintcha?

I don’t think anyone is suppose to like Slide but I can understand her. She believed in optimus. Saw him as a god and he indirectly got her brother killed. Not brother in arms, her actual brother but not just her brother her, but not just her brother but her entire ability to transform. Her entire life has been ruined. She reminds me a lot of Prowls views on Megatron by the finale of Lost Light. It didn’t matter how much good he does he ruined lives and you can’t get passed that.

No, she has the right. OP took advantage of their faith and basically used it to build his army to take Earth. Oiler died because of Prime. The thing that makes her species unique was yanged away because of it. She has every right to be pissed. I'm talking about the time and place. People are literally dying around her and she is hesitating trying to help because she has a beef with the person leading the charge.

Anyways, who thinks Thundercracker is gonna bite Unicron's bullet?

I kinda wonder is she’s just snapped. Like her brain has and she just can’t truly fathom what is happening around her. Thy does happen and not defending her really but it’s how I’m interpreting it.

I hope thundercracker doesn’t. I don’t wanna day he’s got a survival bubble on him but he’s been in my top five transformers since he saved everyone in All Hail Megatron 12

God Slide is the most annoying character that isn't a Visionary in IDW

Randomhero wrote:
I kinda wonder is she’s just snapped. Like her brain has and she just can’t truly fathom what is happening around her. Thy does happen and not defending her really but it’s how I’m interpreting it.

I honestly doubt that, I just chalk it up to Slide being a terribly written character.

Deadput wrote:God Slide is the most annoying character that isn't a Visionary in IDW

Randomhero wrote:
I kinda wonder is she’s just snapped. Like her brain has and she just can’t truly fathom what is happening around her. Thy does happen and not defending her really but it’s how I’m interpreting it.

I honestly doubt that, I just chalk it up to Slide being a terribly written character.

A terribly written character in the same book as IDW Thundercracker, Needlenose Tracks and Acree...

Yeeeeeeeeah no. She’s written that way for very specific reasons. The people who continue to complain about her character constantly are really wearing their Captain Obvious costumes real well.

Randomhero wrote:A terribly written character in the same book as IDW Thundercracker, Needlenose Tracks and Acree...

Yeeeeeeeeah no. She’s written that way for very specific reasons. The people who continue to complain about her character constantly are really wearing their Captain Obvious costumes real well.

I mean there are people who would say that those characters aren't written well either. (Not me but some people would, although I do think that Thundercracker having a dog is stupid...not bad writing but stupid)

Slide's character could work but the way she is written is completely stupid.


And this is the same comic with other badly written idw characters like Pyra Magna and Optimus himself. (Optimus just straight up sucks as a character in the last few years in IDW)

Deadput wrote:

Randomhero wrote:A terribly written character in the same book as IDW Thundercracker, Needlenose Tracks and Acree...

Yeeeeeeeeah no. She’s written that way for very specific reasons. The people who continue to complain about her character constantly are really wearing their Captain Obvious costumes real well.

I mean there are people who would say that those characters aren't written well either. (Not me but some people would, although I do think that Thundercracker having a dog is stupid...not bad writing but stupid)

Slide's character could work but the way she is written is completely stupid.


And this is the same comic with other badly written idw characters like Pyra Magna and Optimus himself. (Optimus just straight up sucks as a character in the last few years in IDW)

Why because they arent devoted to him? Both never fought side by side with him for millions of years. Pyra is the way she is because she grew up around the devotion of Primes and witnessed first hand a Prime murdering her leader. She doesn’t believe in him because she doesn’t think he has the right to be followed by someone like Mistress Flame who also witnessed the evils of a Prime but chose to pretty much ignore that incident.

Slide again lost everything because she believed in him and at this point OP 24 happened where he fully admitted to her in ways he’s a fraud and manipulated people. What’s she’s saying right now is literally an hour or so after her conversation with Optimus from issue 24 where he admits to doing pretty bad stuff for the greater good.

I legitimately believe John is wrote her like this due to her having post dramatic stress and post partum because when you have that you’re not always thinking properly

“A place to call our own.” Where you gonna live if Unicron eats your universe slide?

Wait, was Trypticon just taken out there? Jeez-o!

DerrikDGreat wrote:“A place to call our own.” Where you gonna live if Unicron eats your universe slide?

Right? She's a selfish heel. Basically IDW Spike in robot form.

Big Grim wrote:Wait, was Trypticon just taken out there? Jeez-o!

What's funny about this is, wayyyy back in 1986, just prior to the release of TF:TM, my friends and I were speculating how Metroplex and Trypticon were going to be a part of the film (I mean their toys had just come out, so of course they'd be in the movie right... )

We only knew there was a *monster planet* (It's name wasn't revealed in the trailers), and envisioned how Metroplex and Trypitocn would be part of this grand battle. Only took 32 years to see it (sort of) actually happen

EARTH WAR! With Unicron's ultimate goal revealed, the shaky alliance of Autobots and Decepticons is all that stands between Earth and the planet-eater. Heroes will rise-and fall-as Optimus Prime journeys into the dark heart of Unicron for the final confrontation with evil. At stake: the soul of a universe.

And so the story ends. The finale comes, and the universe shakes, rocks, rattles, and rolls. But the question is, did the conclusion finally bring the show to justice?

Well, let's discuss this shall we?



For starters, let's talk about our main cast. Aileron is here, and she does her part, but there is nothing really spectacular. Arcee is her typical badass self, but really doesn't need to do much to be a part of the action. She's there, and she does what she does best. Windblade and Bumblebee are also sort of just here, not really doing too much to the overall story despite previous prominence. Which is OK, all of the named characters have had some moments to shine, so their lack of doing much is forgivable.

Especially when you consider our big 3: Soundwave, Starscream, and Optimus Prime. To me, this story finally got Starscream back in line with what Till All Are One had set him up to be, and finally seems to shake loose from the later Barber runs and revert back to what IDW appears to have wanted him to be, and that is a good thing. He and his seekers got some really nice moments together and individually, so I appreciate this. Soundwave continues to pull the heart apart, and I love his part in the conclusion of this story, very well done. And Optimus is not quite Optimus. His retraction of the faceplate and the fact that he never wears it again after he gets ready to go to orbit to fight Unicron is very telling, as is the (near) conclusion of his storyline. He is Orion once more, the masks, as he puts it, are gone. He is who is he is, and he helps smooth a few of his bumpy points.



We also had some other nice character moments, from all corners of the Transformers and the Hasbro Universe in general. Action Man gets in a good shot, the seekers are great, the Dinobots do a nice part, the return of a fan favorite character by Mount Rushmore was awesome to see, Prowl, Stardrive, and Rhinox with their moments of light, and even some Sharkticons and Junkions. The wind down pages in particular, with several important character interactions, was done very nicely as well, a good bookend to the series.



But for every good moment we had, there seemed to be a dim bulb preventing the light from fully shining. Slide is without a doubt the worst part of the book, and the worst part of IDW's Optimus Prime run if I'm honest. She ended up as such an unlikable character that I feel didn't deserve the storyline she ended up getting. The continued random cameos of Maximals that don't really do anything and don't really get any development besides Rhinox in any way was disappointing. Unicron himself and how he relates to his creator, and indeed his creator in general were lacking. The way Bludgeon, Monstructor, and the Dinobots resolved felt like a bit of a mess.

But most importantly, several moments in the book that were supposed to be huge just didn't ring. They sort of thudded. Starscream, the Maximal's victims, and Unicron's creator fall heavy in this category. They needed some more oomph. And the climatic finale itself needed some extra bits in the final resolution, as I feel the true climatic moment was with Soundwave, not with Unicron or Orion.



Art duties were very heavily scattered with this book, bringing in artists from almost all the main IDW ongoings over the past few years, including Alex Milne, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Kei Zama, and Andrew Griffith. While there were noticeable shifts between most of the artist changes, with Zama using her more monstrous features, Milne his pointy-ness and detailings, and Griffith's and Pitre-Durocher's smoother and less complicated look, there was never a feeling of real disconnect, thanks to the efforts of David Garcia Cruz and Joana Lafuente. While they did give some coloring liberties to pages with certain artists, calling back to said artist's previous books and color stylings, such as Zama's pages having a more dark, metal look while Pitre-Durocher's was more clean, smooth, and bright, They did a pretty good job of keeping the look and feel of the book consistent while still giving each artist that special spice of uniqueness. Tom B. Long also continues his work of letting the art be enjoyed to its fullest extent while giving us the important dialogue needed for the story.



So in conclusion, this story fell somewhere in the middle ground. The story wasn't particularly bad overall, but it certainly felt like it lacked the excitement factor, the big push, that big wow moment that it really needed to be spectacular. The characters in the book and their screen time were handled pretty well, we just needed some characters to shine more in their moments (Starscream) and others who really needed to be given fewer pages and didn't feel like they got more than they deserved (Slide). Soundwave for me was the shining point of the book, which says a lot seeing as what role others played in the grand scheme of things. We also needed more of that expanded universe, the little shots were nice, but I feel we could have used a bit more of the Hasbro Universe itself, especially seeing as how ROM has played such a small role in this issue considering he started out the book as one of the seemingly more important characters.

But most importantly, we got a new take on Unicron, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. The destruction he caused and the look were impressive, but what he ended up being was a bit disappointing. I feel like we could have gotten a lot more from this badass villain who was the end. I feel like the moments inside him would have done very well for a personality of his own to shine through, but we did not get that. And considering how big of a deal he was, I wish we could have gotten a bit more from him.

And the series itself feels like that overall. It had potential, but for some reason, the big moments just never got quite the flare they needed. It needed something more, a bit more life to it, and maybe a bit less of the Main Cast and a bit more of the small moments, like Blurr's moment, but for others. It also needed a bit more of Unicron, and maybe a bit better executed finale. But overall, again not bad, just not quite up where I wish this book could overall have been.



This final Review of Unicron #6 features the Skillet song Hero, a personal favorite of mine, and the fitting end to this book.

As I tried but ended up not being able to work it into a single issue review, I decided to make my personal favorite song of all time the theme song for the series itself, and I feel this song in a way encapsulates how several characters felt in the series, never giving up in spite of overwhelming odds, and keep their faith. The theme song for the Unicron series is: Feel Invincible, also by Skillet. As it is the theme, I have also linked the video below for listening without leaving this page: