Not Gonna Die Tonight
A Seibertron.com somewhat Spoilerish Review of IDW Transformers: Unicorn Issue #1
A Seibertron.com somewhat Spoilerish Review of IDW Transformers: Unicorn Issue #1
The Darkest Hour has come. Optimus Prime stages a desperate gamble as the world-eater, Unicron, approaches Windblade’s homeworld—but that’s just the appetizer. The main course is Cybertron (with a side of Earth)... and it’s starting to look like no force in the galaxy can stop the end from coming.
Death surrounds
My heartbeat’s slowing down
Story
So here we are at last, the end of a dream, the end of 14 years of Transformers, the end of the longest running Transformers comic series in history. And here it goes out not with a bang nor a whimper. It goes out spectacularly and in glorious Big Screen Milne-D TV (that's a 2D 3D joke folks).
But we'll get to art later. First, let's focus in on the story shall we?
I won’t take this world’s abuse
I won’t give up, I refuse!
The story is sort of odd, but also pretty spectacular all in one. I will start with the odd: With the final Chapter of The Falling, over in IDW's Optimus Prime book, has not yet finished, meaning this book spoils some things but also sort of feels at odds, like you jumped into the action a bit too soon, like the first part of a 3 part finale from a TV show came before the 3rd to last episode. It may be a bit jarring, but that is hardly the book's fault.
Something that is also a bit strange is how this issue just feels like a slightly larger, more violent version of Unicron #0. Which I mean, that isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering the amount of action and Beast Wars cameos we get (though add a sin for only cameos at this point). But it also is a bit weird playing the script again. But at least (redacted as it is a spoiler, see the final thoughts)*.
The last thing I heard was you whispering goodbye
And then I heard you flat line
That all being said, we still get a great and fun story. Something you might not have seen coming, and shown pretty much front and center on the front of the page, is the comparison between Optimus Prime and Unicron. In many ways, these 2 characters are quite similar. And in this issue, we get plenty of Optimus, though we are still in the early days of Unicron, but that's OK! We are building up, as Unicron is building himself up, and I have to say, the 2nd half of the book had some pretty awesome things about Unicron.
All the character moments we get as well are incredible. Dirge, the Mistress, Soundwave and ROM, even Pyra Magna at the end. The characters are driving the story as much as the pictures and action on the page, and to that end, Barber once again delivers the goods.
We're gonna fight for us together
See final thoughts for 1 more story thing that is best left unsaid at this juncture.
Overall though, good story, slightly repetitive, but still freshened some, and ready to speed onward to the final 5 issues. And we even get a Furmanism!
Art
What would a comic be without art you might ask? It would be a book that's what. And while books are cool, comics drawn by Alex Milne and colored by Sebastian Cheng are even better. These 2 guys right here? They kill the book. They kill the book almost as well as Unicron killed the colonies and Wheeljack! (too soon?...)
They can’t keep their chains on me
When the truth has set me free
The art, as to be expected on a Milne book, is fantastic. Bold lines, insane attention to detail, not a wide shot or a background missed. And the work on Unicron is the 2nd half of the book is awesome, properly great, kinda like the Transformers version of Bosch's Visions of Hell (maybe a spoiler, depends if you've seen that). The whole book is filled with great detail, great character moments, both story and art wise, and some great backdrops, even if we are literally in space for half the issue.
The coloring really helps bring out all those details too. I envy not a person who has to color Milne art, but Cheng did an amazing job, stellar. All the detail Milne provided was intricately carved out in detail and wonderful colors. He made the fires burn bright and the darkness nearly consume the reader themselves.
When life pushes me I push harder
What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger
And the art would not be complete without our resident Letterer, Tom B. Long. Long still kills the varied speech patterns, and I love the colors and fonts chosen for Unicron. He also is one of the best at making sure you miss as little art as possible while catching your necessary speech bubbles.
For even more information, you can check out our Unicron database entry for this issue
Final Thoughts
Majorly spoilerish ahead
We’re gonna stand and fight forever
Ok, so as promised from the story section, the final 2 notes before we plunge on:
1) We are pretty much out of filler. Cybertron is next, and the action is going to only heat up from here. Both we and Unicron had the appetizers, it's time for the giant main course guys.
2) Starscream. oh man Starscream. It feels good to have him around for this final push of the storyline. And once again, it's just the way Milne draws him, but the Steve Blum just oozes all over the speech bubbles. This is the Starscream we've always needed in a comic, Transformers: Prime personified in a "G1" comic. It is brilliant.
With that, I wrap things up with this: This is the end, the great finale, the Unicron event that will end a universe, as Unicron's actually pretty rarely do. And the threat is large, it has power, it isn't showing weakness, it isn't showing any cliches, and it knows that only a few, if any, can truly have that happy ending. Heroes will fall, the action will heat up even more, the pace will pick up even more. The final enigma of the universe will be solved.
It is a great read, a part 2 if you will to the Free Unicron #0, one that provides a bit new, repeats some stuff, but still kills you with what it is intended to do. Great job here, let's keep shooting to the stars (so long as Unicron doesn't eat them).
out of PS: in case you're interested, I felt this song was perfect for this issue. (Obviously)
