Back in early 2018, IDW Publishing had the absolutely inspired idea of crossing their iconic Transformers franchise over with the criminally overlooked ‘1980s Hasbro cartoon-and-toy property Visionaries:Knights of the Magical Light for a five-part comic book series from writer Magdalene Visaggio and artist Fico Ossio.

Definitely one of the less-appreciated ‘80s franchises, Visionaries has always been one of my personal favourites, due in no small part to its exciting blend of ‘knights and wizards’-style fantasy, futuristic technology and frickin’ awesome toys with cool holograms on them. Despite the original cartoon only running for 13 episodes back in 1987, the property still has a cult fan following to this day, even though prior to this series it hadn’t graced the pages of a comic since a short-lived Star Comics series in 1988.

For the Visionaries’ triumphant return, Visaggio and Ossio put together a cracking self-contained series, establishing the stakes right from the opening issue by having Virulina – the leader of the “Darkling Lords” (bad guys) – actually killing long-time fan-favourite Transformer Kup with her magic. Y’see, it turns out that Transformers are hugely susceptible to the magic the former inhabitants of Prysmos wield, a detail which scheming sorcerer Merklynn uses to his advantage, trying to wipe out all mechanical life on Cybertron and claim the planet for himself.

It’s a simple yet gripping premise that manages to deliver some genuinely high stakes, making it feel like things really matter and helping the series to feel like far more than just a cheap dose of licensed nostalgia. Indeed, the final issue of the series sees the remaining “Spectral Knights” (good guys) and Autobots travelling to the core of Cybertron to try to detonate a “counter-wave” bomb that will hopefully negate the magic Merklynn is using to decimate the Transformer population of the planet.

Something I particularly loved about the series (although I do accept that your individual mileage on this may vary) are the bold changes that Visaggio and Ossio make to the distinctive look of the ’80s Visionaries characters. A straight-up recreation may have potentially felt a little dated, but Ossio works wonders with a striking, almost Horizon Zero Dawn-esque “rural tech” style that really helps to breathe some new life into the aging franchise.

A remarkably well-structured standalone story, this miniseries did a great job of giving the new incarnations of these characters a decent anchor to hold their story in place. Unfortunately, despite the clear potential displayed here, no follow-up series – or even a hint at one – has materialised in the years since. The door always remains open though, and while the franchise itself is undoubtedly a little niche, when you consider the comic book resurgence of other 1980s and 1990s cartoon properties in recent months – from Thundercats at Dynamite to Biker Mice From Mars and Sectaurs at Oni Press to Skybound’s critically acclaimed Transformers/G.I. Joe “Energon Universe” – it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that we could see another Visionaries comic book series before too long.

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
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