Review – Transformers: Windblade #1 (of 3)—Combiner Wars Part 1 (IDW)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Mairghread Scott
Artist: Sarah Stone
Release Date: 25th March, 2015

This comic is not quite what it claims to be. It’s essentially a continuation of the current storyline of the TF comic (formerly TF RiD). So despite presenting itself as a standalone, origin-y tale of the female transformers, it isn’t – or perhaps, it’s just that that was my assumption. And this is a comic that deals very well with assumptions.

First off, I am a massive fan of Sarah Stone’s art. Her variant covers for the John Barber run on TF were absolutely spectacular, and here it doesn’t disappoint either. We have a style that manages to merge Saturday morning cartoon (with more than a hint of the millennial Transformers: Animated as well as G1), hard plastic and rich colours to make for an achingly sumptuous treat for the reader. I was like a kid in a toy store, and loved every minute of it you could happily just sit and flip through.

As for the writing, it’s interesting indeed. Let’s not obsess over the fact that it’s a female writer – that would be both a disservice to Scott and going down a path of male-dominated industry schtick. Suffice to sail she nails Optimus, and Starscream is a scheming toad of Seeker. Spot on. Oh, and Swindle is by turns hilarious and vile, just as he should be.

There are issues with this, though it’s not really because of the creative team. The mythos surrounding the Combiners is obstructive – why are the Transformers so obsessed with becoming gestalt, when they seem to lose all identity and indeed brainpower when they do so? Scott certainly characterises them well – and Superion does make a kind of sense – but it’s a real niggle with what’s supposedly the central concern of the plotline.

Much more interesting is the fact that we do seem to be getting towards that other burning issue – female Transformers, and why, or why not, there are so few. Although we get only the first hint of the truth here, it’s an encouraging start, and the sense of Windblade as a character really starts to come through.

This is a strong opening gambit from the team, and if it can address the oddities of the franchise, it’ll be an unmissable addition to the cannon as a whole. One to watch!

Rating: 4/5.

The Writer of this piece was: Sam Graven
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