BlastSlaught is the new ChromeWind
A Seibertron.com somewhat Spoiler-Free review
A Seibertron.com somewhat Spoiler-Free review
Synopsis
As Starscream faces down the encroaching machinations of Elita One, he enlists Blast Off to help him bring Bruticus back!
shot through the spark, and you're to blame...
The story so far
When it comes to the Transformers comics at the present time, Till All Are One is right there with Optimus Prime as the front runners for the comics in terms of quality writing, suspense, action, and art. There is an air of suspense, an air of uncertainty, and an air of political maneuvering as you read the comic. You can feel the situation reaching from the pages to pull your eyes back down to the page and read on.
You give love... a bad name
This is a genuinely awesome comic, and one that attracts a lot of attention in several different arenas. This comic does not hesitate to dive into the politics and the debates. It is not afraid to admit what some characters truly are deep down, and even goes so far as to have them completely embrace it. Bumblebee has come to be the face of the fangirls reading the book, seeing the good, only to have everything just not go as you'd wish. This book tackles big ideas and big issues, and it manages them wonderfully.
With that said, I really want to add that Airachnid is an excellent addition. As soon as I saw the solicitation for this book, I was excited. Airachnid was that Prime character that creeped me out (and probably creeped many of you out too) and to see her returning here as a mnemosurgeon seemed fitting. And Scott handled her inclusion well, giving a good backstory and still making her a great character to have. I could hear Gina Torres voice as this Airachnid spoke. Every. Time.
Now if only I could read this Starscream with Steve Blum's voice.
You promised me heaven
then put me through hell
Speaking of which, this is a great Starscream, and Scott deserves praise for how she has handled this character. He's enjoyable, sometimes unpredictable, and just so... Starscream-y and perfect for the story. This is Starscream in peace time and without a Megatron. This is a great rendition of the character and he deserves all the praise he gets.
To round things off, let's just talk about Blastoff for a second. Or how about a few minutes? Yeah, we'll go with that. If there is one thing other than Starscream that Till All Are One got right, it was the Combaticons. It's amazing how 10 issues, 5 of which didn't even have the Combaticons appear, managed to give them some personality, some meaning, most specifically Blastoff. The guy who before this was mainly known as "the space shuttle on the army guy team" or "that one dude who is a right arm on a combiner that is generally not give much attention" is now a great character in every regard. A character who actually cares, someone who isn't as dark as the rest of his team, someone who was able to stop Bruticus long enough to keep him from doing even more damage. He is a main player in this comic, and it is incredible what they have done with him. His relationship to Onslaught is really good too. And it is not without grounding: look through Till All Are One, going all the way back to issue 1. There are little clues there leading to this exact issue; you just gotta look for them.
Simply put: the characters in the story are true characters, and they truly kill it.
No one can save me
the damage is done
Art
The art team for the ongoing continues to be led by the wondrous work of Sara Pitre-Durocher, and once again the art is perfect. The art done in this issue is very well done, with just enough detail to keep you interested but not so much as to over complicate things and not too little as to appear bland. The linework is spot on, the visuals are very well done, and the expressions, oh the expressions. This is where Durocher is really good: all 4 combaticons that aren't/weren't braindead have faceplates and visors, and yet they are as expressive as those with full faces. It takes talent to make characters with no eyes and no face expressive, and yet artists like Durocher with the combaticons and Milne with Whirl have made it happen again and again.
Paint your smile on your lips
Blood red nails on your fingertips
Joana Lafuente complements the line work and expressiveness of Durocher's work very well here, not that the colors haven't been really good the whole time. I love the shiny/gloss-like feel and how well the lights are playing with the scenes. Little details like the stained glass really shine through, as does the coloring of the anger one character feels when a dream is violated.
I play my part
And you play your game
Tom B. Long finishes off the pages with some nice text boxes and speech bubbles. While there wasn't any major action sequences for him to show off his battle lettering, the bubbles he did use were nice and went well. They were placed well, and everything appeared as it should. Nothing spectacular, but there wasn't a need for any lettering spectacle; just enough to compliment the major plot points moving through the issue.
Final Thoughts
Oh, oh, you're a loaded gun
Oh, oh, there's nowhere to run
With the sad news that Till All Are One only has 2 issues left, it appears as though the series is setting up to go out on a high note. This issue was very good, and it continues to show that Till All Are One is one of the best ongoings at the moment. This is a high-quality comic, and this issue only furthers that. I love the fact that we have a Cybertron-based storyline that has so many different worlds and types of characters involved, and it all comes to a head with tension and good storytelling at the forefront. Airachnid made a great addition, and the combaticons and Starscream are proving to be some of the best characters IDW is using right now. I cannot stress enough how good this issue is, and how good this series has been.
If you're on the fence about reading Transformers at the moment, give this story a try. Give this ongoing a try. It is all working out splendidly, and I am thoroughly loving the read. While you're at it, give our Till All Are One Database a peak, in case you want to look into some extra details about the comic and the team.
out of
