Starscream’s leadership of the Decepticons gets tested when Soundwave challenges him after their embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Autobots. Similarly, the Autobots’ relationship with humanity has strained following Sparky’s sacrifice to bring back Optimus Prime. Expect exciting shake-ups in the Energon universe as Daniel Warren Johnson and new artist Jorge Corona rev up their second arc in Transformers #7. 

Johnson consistently captures the important and compelling emotional narrative of the story. Despite beating the Decepticons, an air of melancholy and sadness haunts the Autobots and humans Spike and Carly due to the loss of Sparky. The pair deals with loss in their individual ways, such as Sam needing time to process the loss of his father, and Carly focuses more on combat training. Johnson reinforces Optimus’s role as a protector and a father-like figure by having him grapple with the guilt over Sparky’s sacrifice and feeling the need to make things right with Spike. I adore the Autobots, along with Sam and Carly, who have become a found family in which we have become emotionally invested. And I appreciate Arcee having a bigger spotlight in the issue as we get a look at her past history on Cybertron and one of the previous leaders Ultra Magnus. Lastly, Johnson smartly sprinkles in details pertaining to Cybertronian history prior to the war which allows readers to get a better understanding of the conflict and the Cybertronians home world. 

The other important event in the issue lies in Starscream and Soundwave fighting for leadership over the Decepticons. After building up the conflict over the past six issues, the battle between the two Decepticons is brutal and personal, as there is no glory in their fighting. Even right before he gets bested, Starscream begs for mercy to potentially betray Soundwave, highlighting his treacherous nature. In order to secure Decepticon victory, Soundwave needs to lead them and follow a similar path as the Autobots by working together as a coordinated team. While Starscream’s greedy and uncoordinated violence did not help their cause, the Decepticons believe that Starscream’s penchant for calculated plans and coordinated attacks will help them in the long run.

With Johnson solely focusing on writing and cover art, Corona has taken over for the interiors and serves as a worthy follow-up. His art aligns with Johnson’s, which visually feels in step while bringing his specific talent and flourishes in the book. Mike Spicer’s colors and Rus Wooton’s lettering also help smoothen the artistic change. Transformers continue to stun me with each new issue. Each page artistically fills me with such delight that I wonder how the team will outdo their previous work. Transformers continues to demonstrate how each artistic talent works perfectly in synch and elevates the story to its maximum quality. 

Johnson and Corona continue to show that they got the touch in Transformers #7. As with previous issues, I am filled with pure giddy excitement as the creative team takes the series in fascinating and exhilarating directions while mining the well-developed emotional depth of the characters. Simply put, they instantly kick off the second arc in high gear as they deliver another incredible issue.

Story: Daniel Warren Johnson Art: Jorge Corona
Color: Mike Spicer Letterer: Rus Wooton
Story: 9.6 Art: 9.6 Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Rea

Skybound provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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