Tag Archives: nick roche

Preview: Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

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Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

(W) Nick Roche (A) E. J. Su (CA) Nick Roche
In Shops: May 11, 2022
SRP: $5.99

When the last stars flicker and fade, who will be the only Cybertronian left? The planet Donnokt sits on the edge of the universe, far away from all the stars that are flickering and fading out one last time. It is a world on the precipice of revolution-industrialization-taking its first steps into the realms of the mechanical. And on the far edge of nowhere, a Visitor arrives, and Donnokt will never be the same again. The war for Cybertron may be long over… but the war from Cybertron never ends.

Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

Review: Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

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Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

When the last stars flicker and fade, who will be the only Cybertronian left? Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1 is an intriguing concept of a comic. After billions of years of battle, what happens to the last Cybertronian and who will it be? There’s a lot of directions this series can go and after the first issue, I’m not sure which it’ll be in what is a rather frustrating debut.

Written by Nick Roche, Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1 takes us to Donnokt, a planet that’s somewhat like the Wild West but a bit more technology. After a tease of a crash landing of an object, we’re introduced to the locals of a town and particularly one, who is their local delivery person. She’s challenged by a new team offering similar services who use a bit more technology to get it done. The comic, for what feels like about 3/4 of it, is a story of a struggling business who is facing the challenges of new technology. It’s a rather slow, plodding opening where you feel like you want it all to speed up and get to the point. Sure, it throws out some potential themes for the series, but we’re here for the Cybertronians!

Eventually, that happens with a big reveal which doesn’t go as expected. In fact it’s far from that which instantly got me to take notice. Unfortunately, it takes too long to get there. That last 1/4 of the comic is great for its feints and what it sets up. As I said, there’s a lot of potential and a lot of questions to ask and be answered.

Art is provided by E.J. Su and Roche with color by Rebecca Nalty and lettering by Johanna Nattalie. The art is pretty good but feels like it fits more in a Back to the Future story than Transformers. The setting and art style felt more Back to the Future III than the world it’s set in. The art isn’t bad but it doesn’t excite and doesn’t deliver quite enough detail to really give us more of an idea about this world. There’s enough to get the story going but it doesn’t have that little bit extra of small details to really give it a boost. Like the story itself, the art in the last quarter of the comic is what stands out with a brutal battle and some emotional kick.

Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1 isn’t a bad start, it’s just not exciting. It has all the chance of people something great going forward but it takes too long to get to the point and what we’ve come for. It almost feels like two comics and those two don’t quite line up. Still, there’s just enough I want to read more and see if the series goes where it could and really deliver something special.

Story: Nick Roche Art: E.J. Su and Nick Roche
Color: Rebecca Nalty Letterer: Johanna Nattalie
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Preview: Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

Posted on by

Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

(W) Nick Roche (A) E. J. Su (CA) Nick Roche
In Shops: May 11, 2022
SRP: $5.99

When the last stars flicker and fade, who will be the only Cybertronian left? The planet Donnokt sits on the edge of the universe, far away from all the stars that are flickering and fading out one last time. It is a world on the precipice of revolution-industrialization-taking its first steps into the realms of the mechanical. And on the far edge of nowhere, a Visitor arrives, and Donnokt will never be the same again. The war for Cybertron may be long over… but the war from Cybertron never ends.

Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

Say Farewell to the Transformers with Last Bot Standing

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When the last stars flicker and fade, who will be the only Cybertronian left? Beginning this May, IDW Publishing propels fans into the far-flung future with Transformers: Last Bot Standing, a four-issue miniseries spectacle of speculative fiction by fan-favorite Transformers comic alums Nick Roche, E.J. Su, and Rebecca Nalty!

While the war for Cybertron may be long over, the war from Cybertron never ends! On the edge of the universe, at the end of time, hangs the planet Donnokt…a world on the precipice of an industrial revolution, taking its first steps into the realms of the mechanical. But when a visitor—a shape-shifting robot from a long-dead civilization—falls from the sky, nothing will ever be the same!

Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1 will be available with two cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy. The primary cover will see series writer Roche performing double duty as the artist, while a Retailer Incentive edition will feature illustration by series artist E.J. Su.

Transformers: Last Bot Standing #1

Preview: Transformers: Wreckers—Tread & Circuits #1 (of 4)

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Transformers: Wreckers—Tread & Circuits #1 (of 4)

(W) David Mariotte (A/CA) Jack Lawrence
In Shops: Oct 13, 2021
SRP: $3.99

Out in the Cybertronian colonies, good entertainment is hard to find. Fortunately, there’s always the Wreckers-brave Cybertronians broadcasting death-defying stunts and action-all as a cover for undercover operations! When the only event bigger than a new Wreckers broadcast, the Speedia 500, a race for governmental control of a whole world, is threatened, the Wreckers have a new mission: Save the most viewed race in the galaxy… without getting caught. Wreck & Rule!

Transformers: Wreckers—Tread & Circuits #1 (of 4)

Review: Scarenthood

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Scarenthood

As a fan of Supernatural, I enjoyed the show for most of its entire run. I enjoyed the dynamics between the brothers and how they sacrificed themselves for each other. Season after season, the love between them and for those who they call “family”, made their adventures more than your typical procedural. At its core, it was really a show about family. The recently collected comic series Scarenthood has that same building block at its core.

I often wondered what kind of life the siblings of Supernatural would have if their lives were more stable. We saw a bit of this in the series finale, as one meets their end during a job while the other goes on to live a “normal” life. I secretly wanted both of them to find peace in the series conclusion. In a similar iteration, Nick Roche and Chris O’Halloran gives us a spin on this very question with their deceivingly biting Scarenthood.

The comic focuses on a group of parents, Jen, Cormac, Rhona, and Flynno, as they commiserate over what they will do when they don’t have their kids. From there the story spirals into an investigation concerning the schoolhouse the kids go to. Scarenthood delivers a flipped dynamic of what we’d expect. Instead of the kids investigating the haunting and what goes bump in the night, it’s the parents while the kids are away.

The series delivers its strength in the setup but then getting the reader to question what’s real, if anything. Is this just parents breaking down and losing it? Is there really an evil force out there. The series does a great job leaving you guessing as it builds. But, no matter what, the series focuses on the relationships between the parents and the parents and the kids to build a group of characters you care about.

Overall, Scarenthood an eerie and relatable story. The story by Roche is scary. The art by Roche and O’Halloran is gorgeous. Altogether, an excellent comic collection that is a fine addition to the horror genre.

Story: Nick Roche Art: Nick Roche and Chris O’Halloran
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – TFAW – Bookshop

Preview: Scarenthood

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Scarenthood

(W) Nick Roche (A/CA) Nick Roche
In Shops: Sep 29, 2021
SRP: $15.99

What’s scarier: fighting demons or letting your kids down? That’s what a group of parents will find out as their plans to solve the school’s long standing mystery lead to one parenting nightmare after another!

TO-DO LIST: Drop kids at preschool; Grab coffee with other parents; Go ghost-hunting in woods; Fight demonic entity; Collect kids; Nap time.

With the kids away on a field trip, a group of parents disturbs an ancient evil buried beneath the old Church Hall, unearthing a decades-old mystery about a missing child, and inviting something… hungry into their lives. Suddenly, their mornings go from playdates and peanut allergies, to a battle for the souls of a broken family-and one child in particular-in this original story that combines the highs of parenthood with horror movie scares.

Scarenthood

The Wreckers are back in Transformers: Wreckers—Tread & Circuits!

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IDW Publishing’s ongoing comic book saga of Transformers, chronicled from the earliest days of the Cybertronian War, will explode this October with the re-introduction of everyone’s favorite down-and-dirty Autobot special missions force in Transformers: Wreckers—Tread & Circuits!

This brand new four-issue miniseries is written by David Mariotte, the co-author of 2020’s hit Transformers vs. The Terminator miniseries; illustrated by Jack Lawrence, the acclaimed artist of the fan-favorite Transformers: Lost Light series; and colored by Candice Han of last year’s Transformers / Back to the Future crossover.

The Tread & Circuits storyline provides a glimpse of life on distant colony worlds, far from the Cybertron war, where good entertainment is hard to find! Fortunately, there’s always the Wreckers, a fearless team of daredevils who broadcast death-defying stunts and action… all as a cover for undercover operations! When the security of the Speedia 500—a literal race for governmental control of a whole world—is threatened, the Wreckers have a new challenge: they must save the most widely-broadcasted event in the galaxy, without getting exposed!

Transformers: Wreckers—Tread & Circuits #1 will be available with multiple cover variants by a trio of superb Transformers comic artists: Cover A by series artist Jack Lawrence, Cover B by Anna Malkova, and a Retailer Incentive edition featuring art by Nick Roche.

Preview: Scarenthood #4 (of 4)

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Scarenthood #4 (of 4)

(W) Nick Roche (A/CA) Nick Roche
In Shops: Feb 10, 2021
SRP: $4.99

The Big Boy has tipped ALL the toys out, and the Grown-Ups don’t know how to clean them up.

There are revelations about Flynno’s brother, the ‘Mother Of One’, and Father Sinnott; can they be connected? And it’s a race against time for Cormac to catch Scooper’s School Play–but stage-fright is the least of her problems….

Nick Roche (Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Transformers Wreckers Saga) and Chris O’ Halloran (Ice Cream Man, Folklords) tidy away most of the mess in this final issue.

Scarenthood #4 (of 4)

Preview: Scarenthood #3 (of 4)

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Scarenthood #3 (of 4)

(W) Nick Roche (A/CA) Nick Roche
In Shops: Dec 23, 2020
SRP: $4.99

It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid… Unless you’ve disturbed an ancient entity, your sanity is in tatters, your child is at risk, and your friends don’t believe a word you say. Cormac is forced to dig up the past as The Big Boy makes itself more and more at home, and Scooper gets what every kid wants from Santa: An exorcism.

Scarenthood #3 (of 4)
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