Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: John Barber
Artist: Andrew Griffith, Brendan Cahill
Release Date: 24th September 2014

Note to self: remember which Transformers continuity you’re in the middle of before you start reading. Having just come from Primacy, I was more than a little confused to begin with – which left me feeling much like Wheeljack, this issue’s protagonist. I’ve said it before, but the choice to focus on individual bots issue by issue is an absolutely winner, and Barber does everyone’s favourite Wrecker real justice.

Last time, it was all about Prime’s leadership; back on Cybertron, we find an Autobot Starscream in charge – conflicted, possibly delusional, and maybe trying to do the right thing. We share Wheeljack’s scepticism, but also his optimism – despite the nagging feeling at the back of our heads, we want to believe he could change. We find out more this issue about the genesis of various sub-groups – how the combiners came into being, and the more stylised, sleeker female bots feature heavily (though without feeling like a desperate attempt to redress gender imbalance).

Art’s strong as always, with some really lovely panels – as we’ve come to expect, we’ve got some tight action, broad sweeping pages for giant bots, and strong landscapes – along with distinct palettes for different locations that’s so much a hallmark of IDW’s Transformers generally.

It’s another great issue. This is a team at the top of their game that is creating interesting twists on old favourites with a compelling narrative. Perhaps most impressively, it’s another entry-level issue: once again, you can come to this blind, and get stuck right in. If you’re a G1 transformers fan, there’s never been a better time to dive into Barber’s world; if you’re at the other end of the scale, and have never got what the fuss is about, here and now’s the time to try it.

Rating: 4/5.

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PREVIEW ARTWORK.

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The Writer of this piece was: Sam De Smith
You can follow Sam on Twitter

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