IDW Publishing Dawn of the Autobots Teasers - Seibertron Exclusive Robots in Disguise Galvatron

TFW2005.com got Jazz - Beleaguered!



The Underbase podcast had Arcee - Undecided.



TransMissions has Cosmos - Disgruntled.

Doubledealer93 wrote:Better Galvatron toy when? The deluxe one is in dire need of retirement.

This.

I'm late on the IDW comics. Galvatron is the new leader of the Decepticons now?

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

God Optimus Prime wrote:I'm late on the IDW comics. Galvatron is the new leader of the Decepticons now?

After the events of Dark Cybertron, Megatron ultimately decides his cause has become diluted and tarnished. The death of Bumblebee spurs him to renounce his conquest, instead joining the Autobots aboard he starship Lost Lightto search for the legendary Knights of Cybertron in hopes that they can restore Cybertron to glory.

Many. Decepticons, including Soundwave, feel Megatron has betrayed and abandoned them. Galvatron, having survived the death of Nova Prime and the other inhabitants of the Dead Universe, promises to lead the Decepticons in a new conquest, in order to rid Cybertron of those he considers weak.

Now that's interesting and sound pretty cool.

Hope the artwork will be better than Heart of Darkness.

This week in the IDW Publishing Transformers comics, we return to Robots in Disguise, Optimus Prime -- and to Earth! Check out the full preview below, and head back here tomorrow for the Seibertron.com review.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #28: Dawn of the Autobots—SPOTLIGHT
John Barber (w) • Andrew Griffith (a) • Casey W. Coller (c)
EARTHFALL! The AUTOBOTS return to Earth—with OPTIMUS PRIME in command! But what brought them back—and what terrifying secret do the humans hold? A bold new era begins here!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
- OPTIMUS PRIME LEADS THE AUTOBOTS ON EARTH!?
- The perfect jumping-on point for new readers!
- Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the TRANSFORMERS!
- Variant interlocking cover by Livio Ramondelli!

Is that still Andrew Griffith on art in the flashbacks? I've always liked his style, but he's definitely getting noticeabley better.

Then again, that mysterious Skywatch woman's head is...a little wonky.

Synopsis
EARTHFALL! The AUTOBOTS return to Earth—with OPTIMUS PRIME in command! But what brought them back—and what terrifying secret do the humans hold? A bold new era begins here!



Story

Here we are again, on this blue planet of ours. This round, blue, beautiful, peaceful planet of ours: Eart(h). Which is not that peaceful, or round for that matter, or happy to see any more robots after what happened last time robots were around - yes, All Hail Megatron and the 2009 ongoing. Bit of a mess for everyone, really.



John Barber goes back to wearing his writing hat, and back to the Robots in Disguise cast as they see their ranks shifting a little. We get Optimus Prime leading a new team of Kup, Prowl, Jetfire, Arcee, Skylynx, Jazz, Cosmos and Sideswipe - so maybe not entirely the same cast, but it's one with good tensions and chemistry so far. And Prowl being his usual. As usual.



The dialogue seems to have lightened up from pre-Dark Cybertron RID, and there is definitely more action, a lot more action, even in the flashbacks scattered throughout the issue, taking place after the first few pages. Pages that feature some glorious fanfiction screenplays written by none other than the only (?) Cybertronian left on Earth last time round: Thundercracker.



Good dialogue, nice selection of cast and interactions, really nice set-up with both the Cybertronian past, Alpha Trion showing up as a potential goal for the cast, Thundercracker's presence and Earth's inevitable hostility towards incoming Cybertronians. The mix so far is actually pretty good, and everything has freshened up a lot since the Cybertron days!

Art

The artwork duties, for both pencil and ink, flashbacks and present-day settings, are with Andrew Griffith. And my, do his robots and Earth shine. The -ation styled Thundercracker is impressive, and there are so many full page panels in this issue that I'm left in awe at the likes of Skylynx, spaceships, planets, cities and.. well, you'll see. Though I am left a little wondering about some strangely shaped human faces, especially in a couple of Marissa's shots.



Colour duties, on the other hand, are split between past and present, between Joana Lafuente and Josh Perez. But they both equally shine their own glossy, refracting, shaded light on their own respective sections. Lafuente's Cybertron looks gritty and grainy, with lasers pewpewing through everything, while Perez' Earth has the right amount of ominous shadows and glorious natural hues.



The lettering duties fall with Tom B. Long, and dutifully and sparingly does he deliver sound effects and fonts. There are some really good WRUNCH and RUUUUNCH sounds later in the issue. We get three covers again, too, with Griffith and Lafuente on B, Casey Coller and Lafuente on A, and the RI interlocking variant cover by Livio Ramondelli - most of which featuring the big blue face of Optimus Prime.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

Starting again almost afresh after Dark Cybertron? In my opinion, it works. It gives Barber and the Autobots a new playing field, a credible threat, complex negotiations with Earth and the possibility to make the running joke of robots being unable to pronounce trills and fricatives (you try, without lips or teeth or tongue). And it's still connected to what has just happened with Dark Cybertron, and some nice references to earlier stuff (and Megatron's trial, which we'll finally see in MTMTE #28).



The art crew do some impressive teamwork, too, with Griffith's art only slipping a couple of times, but showing off some amazing skill everywhere else. Add Lafuente and Perez' colours to all of that, with their slightly different hues and tones, top it off with good lettering - it's a comic worth reading, looking at and definitely buying. I am not concerned about the Earth setting at all, if this is telling of what will happen.

I actually liked this issue

I read it twice!

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Henry921 wrote:(Re: Galvatron)So uncivilized.

Obi-Wan would be disappointed.

What I find interesting is that Galvatron, in IDW continuity, always considered himself to be from a more...civilized age.

Me, too. It spun an interesting take on the character.