iTunes Preview for IDW Transformers (2019) 24

We have a few comic previews for you today. This one is for issue 24 of the "new" Transformers series from 2019.

(W) Brian Ruckley (A/CA) Bethany McGuire-Smith
"Wheeljack: Orbital Decay". Untethered from the world below, Cybertron's former inner moon is in a decaying orbit around Cybertron's sun. Wheeljack and his team race against the clock to save it, but the sun's pull might not be their only problem.
In Shops: Nov 11, 2020
SRP: $3.99

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:"Transfomrers".

Might as well be, considering the quality of the book itself.

First off, yes this review is pretty late. Transformers #25 was released last Wednesday, but with nothing coming out for the coming week on 12/16 this review was saved from not being written at all. That's all on that part.

IDW's 2019 reboot of the main Transformers comic universe has reached 25 issues, which like this year itself feels like it arrived in no time flat while also feeling like it took forever to get here. Rather than a grim hurry-to-the-conclusion-due-to-cancellation affair after a dozen issues like the latest failed G.I. Joe reboot, Transformers gets an "Event" book that isn't quite the definition of an "Event" book. Still, it's a double-sized issue to mark the occasion along with the sub-title of "War World" that will presumably grace the next several issues as well, so let's see if this hail mary play ends in a touchdown or just the slow runoff of the clock.


If I ignore my feelings towards issues 1-24 in their entirety and pretend this is issue #1 of a new series, most would probably think that to be a bad idea and a pointless thought exercise. I'm not saying you should do that, but if you want to, it kind of works to be totally honest. Outside of a couple minor references to other events and a necessary familiarity with the general idea of the franchise characters that appear within, this accomplishes the rare feat of being a great jumping on point if you're curious about this new series. If the first 24 issues were the lecture that most students slept through, 25 is the test that somehow got aced by the same students. There's lots of action, a varied cast and very few stretches of walking and talking through hallways/stairwells.


The biggest positive about the book, for me as a longtime Transformers fan, is the number of generally obscure, nobody, D-List non-characters that get use here. It's always fun to see an old favorite that was never more than a toy show up and do something, even if it's still ultimately not much. A fair warning is in order that some of these appearances do end in your favorite old toy getting blown up, but within this issue it feels like it could be in service of something that probably should have happened a long time ago in some Cybertronian war story or another that's in a G1 universe or a derivative of it - the crew members of the Ark and Nemesis/the Autobots and Decepticons that end up crash landed on Earth are shown as survivors of a dangerous war. We'll see if this ends up being a consistent theme as this may be me projecting what I want to see happen onto the plot, but if it is I think this is a good thing, sad as it is to see some cool toys get blown to pieces.


Most of what Brian Ruckley does in this issue was very enjoyable, though one issue that remains is how some of the dialogue could be thrown onto any other character and work just as well. It could be argued that this holds for almost all action-oriented issues of Transformers, which is maybe why it doesn't feel quite as generic here. Or it could be that characters like Ironhide and Brawn feel like characters in this issue, which is promising improvement. Even Hubcap and Strongarm appear to make an attempt at explaining their poorly timed faux-pas from last summer. Hopefully it isn't too little too late, and continued improvement here would still be appreciated.


Anna Malkova handles the lineart for this entire oversized issue, a daunting task that was met with great success for the most part. The panel above with Sentinel Prime and Megatron is one where some constructive criticism can be levied, because while for the most part her work on characters, alt modes, backgrounds and particularly faces on characters with faceshields is solid, I look at Megatron here as an example of something that isn't working for me. While not a theme overall, his nose is too big here, and while that beats the creepy giant lips of Polygon's Megatron on the Netflix show, the proportions are off just enough for me to have a tough time reading his tone. As previously stated, the line work is generally very good throughout, so don't let my words here be too much of a detractor. Joana Lafuente's colors elevate the visual appeal in the issue as well, even serving to help in the transition of scenes from page to page in a way that I didn't notice until a third read through. Jake M. Wood handles the letter work just fine, which is another way of saying that while sometimes the word bubbles can get in the way during action heavy comics, in this case, they do not.

There's a bit of an editorial crediting change for this issue, with David Mariotte and Riley Farmer still listed as editor and assistant editor, respectively. Tom Waltz is now listed as a "Supervising Editor" and while I can't admit to knowing what that means, I'll (irresponsibly, sorry) speculate that maybe the path of the story has been shaken up a bit? The last page of this one had me internally screaming "Finally!", whether or not this has anything to do with that though, I have no idea.

Angel Hernandez and Joana Lafuente handle the art and colors for the "A" cover which is featured in this review's news story thumbnail, and it's nice to see a small dose of Hernandez again for this mini-milestone issue even if I wasn't his biggest fan on interiors. Malkova's "B" cover is inspired by actual events of the issue, with Fico Ossio and Lafuente working on the 10-copy retailer incentive cover that thankfully features 0 characters from Hasbro's Visionaries franchise. As always, you can find all the cover images, full credits for the issue through our Transformers #25


If issue 26 is a big let down I'm going in on it with no mercy. That said, in a vacuum issue 25 is probably my favorite of the main Transformers series since this reboot started. There's action, character work, plot progression and just a fun read in store.

The things that happen here feel significant and were very exciting, but it must be stressed that these probably should have happened a dozen issues ago on books priced at $3.99 and not $7.99. That will be something entirely forgivable if the series can carry this momentum into its next run, which will hopefully be one where it finds its own identity while being an interesting read month after month. So far it has not been able to do this at any turn, but today I'm choosing optimism.

With the big disclaimer that this score is with a lot of hope that this is a turning point and not the bang before a let down, here's the tally:


This issue is out now, and you can pick it up at the Seibertron.com eBay store or at your local shop, check here to find the closest shop to you.

Big Grim wrote:I entirely forgot this series still existed to be frank. I'll wait for next issues review to see if this positive note means it's worth attempting again.

~ Grim

I think this is a good idea. Have been several moments when I thought this series might be turning around then I crack open the next issue and it's 18 pages of walking and talking. Hell even 23 was at least so-so, then 24 was nothing but an extended boring promo for the now month late (and still counting) Escape #1

Big Grim wrote:

ScottyP wrote:I think this is a good idea. Have been several moments when I thought this series might be turning around then I crack open the next issue and it's 18 pages of walking and talking. Hell even 23 was at least so-so, then 24 was nothing but an extended boring promo for the now month late (and still counting) Escape #1

Man, that's kinda damning. We gave up the previous continuity fer this? Why was that again? The whole "Hasbroverse" nonsense? I want the Lost Light, the Scavengers and good guy Megatron back, but I suppose it is what it is.

I think that story ran its course and got a decent ending, despite its many flaws. The problem with this new continuity I think is that it tried too hard to be different. I actually liked and looked forward to the idea of a prequel-style story that told the beginnings of the Autobot-Decepticon war in detail. Then we got what we got. I still believe that if these 25 issues were to be condensed down into maybe 15 or 16, it would make for a more interesting story.

I enjoyed Transformers #25. Then Transformers: Galaxies #12 and Transformers: Escape #1 came out and I enjoyed them as well. It felt like things had finally turned around, or at least that the overall new-ish reboot series had started to. This feeling has been betrayed. By what?

Walking and talking. They're back, and I am not pleased.


That's right, if you missed your monthly dose of robotic characters talking at one another in the midst of all the actual things happening in the last few issues, well hold on to your easy chair because that will mean you aren't having to hold this comic and read it. This series has had a problem with momentum almost from the beginning, and any fears it had turned a corner on this have not been assuaged. Sometimes it's good to have a break from the action, to take a beat to reset things and let the characters react to and stew about in everything that has occurred. That's what this issue attempts to do, but it hasn't earned it yet. The battle in issue 25 presumably just ends and everyone goes back to their bases. It's like if Hot Rod opened the matrix from within Unicron then popped back over to Autobot City to regroup. I don't get it.


Maybe it's a "me" thing, but I'm not the only one on staff just disillusioned with this book, so maybe it's an "us" thing that doesn't apply to you, reader of this review. An extremely cursory look at Amazon reviews for the second hardcover volume of the series shows it has an audience, and if you indeed prefer Transformers to not be an action series then this issue is probably for you - and you should ignore my score at the end if this applies.


It's not just a lack of fighting though, Transformers can do cool things outside of that. However, very little of that is present here either, with only some last page "please come back next month" reveals doing anything remotely within the realm of on-brand for the Transformers franchise. There are also some plot progressions that are significant, all surrounding Megatron, so while the issue's not a total dud its density still leaves something to be desired.


The visual presentation is excellent regardless of what it's depicting, with Anna Malkova again on line art providing some long-due consistency as well as continued improvement. David Garcia Cruz is now handling colors and while my limited art vocabulary won't be able to articulate this very well, there's a depth he's given to the linework here that I really appreciate. The sunset lighting effect throughout is a great touch and used appropriately for the environment in which the characters are present. Jake M. Wood has the unenviable task of fitting in some super dense word balloons within limited page space, but does well at placement and in addition of beats in between paragraphs. Perhaps the editorial grouping of David Mariotte and Riley Farmer can work with writer Brian Ruckley to make some of those a bit more succinct.

As always, you can find all the cover images as well as full credits for the issue through our Vector Sigma Database page for Transformers #26.


I'm so tired of this. My apologies to the artists and other creative personnel doing their best with the provided script and plot.

Again, please ignore the below score if you are someone that prefers the slow-paced, vapid, dialogue heavy style ever-present in this series.


This issue is out now, and you can pick it up at the Seibertron.com eBay store or at your local shop, check here to find the closest shop to you.

Well damn. Looks like last issue was an anomaly. Shame.

~ Grim

We only got issue 26 of the current Transformers ongoing less than two weeks ago, but we're being graced with the next issue a week from this Wednesday. Continuing on the "War World" arc, this issue sees Slipstream and her team continuing their attack on the Winged Moon. Check out the summary and pages below!

Cybertron’s winged moon, untethered from the planet and adrift in space, is in peril – from its slow descent towards the solar system’s star to new visitors who have their own plans for what to do with the moon. 

This issue is scheduled to be released on January 20th. Are any of you fellow Seibertronians picking this issue up? Let us know what you think below!

Has a certain someone been taking English lessons from Rumble?

Greetings Seibertronians! Issue #27 of the ongoing IDW Transformers comic is out this week, so you know what that means! It's preview time!

IDW wrote:Transformers #27
Brian Ruckley (w) • Anna Malkova (a) • Livio Ramondelli (c)
“War World: Moon”. Cybertron’s winged moon, untethered from the planet and adrift in space, is in peril—from its slow descent towards the solar system’s star to new visitors who have their own plans for what to do with the moon. Can the remaining scientists and engineers hold their own until back-up arrives from Cybertron?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Will you be getting this issue? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!