IDW Publishing has had a hell of a run with the Transformers license spanning 17 years. Some of that has been amazing, some a bit bumpy, but a lot of it was very entertaining. I didn’t enjoy the latest volume a whole lot, but decided to check out the finale of the run, Transformers: Fate of Cybertron.

Written by Brian Ruckley, the over-sized one-shot delivers the final stand of Optimus against Megatron for the fate of Cybertron. The issue wraps things up nicely but delivers few surprises, it feels like it’s pretty standard, checking off a lot of boxes.

Optimus attempts to be the voice of reason, wanting to end the conflict as peacefully as possible. Megatron wants nothing of that, headstrong and convinced his way is the correct and only way forward. He demands an audience to prove that.

The comic really only has a limited number of directions it could go. There’s little chance Megatron would win, it would leave a sad, depressing legacy for the series. So, the only two logical outcomes are a draw, entrenched in battle forever, or Optimus wins by defeating Megatron or he sees the light. The latter was also unlikely. Going that route would sully the legacy and what has come over and over in other volumes. So, that leaves us with the middle and where it all goes from here. And that’s an expected speech for us to attach our hopes to. As I said, pretty expected events.

The issue is packed with Transformers artists, Andrew Griffith, Winston Chan, Alex Milne, Ed Pirrie, and Angel Hernandez. They’re joined by Josh Burcham, Josh Perez, and David García Cruz on color and lettering by Jake M. Wood. The art is pretty good. The art style does shift at times and it’s noticeable. But, the comic hits the notes you want with titanic fights between combiners and a chaotic battle where you pause to see all of the bots taking part. But, the comic generally lacks that memorable visual moment that sticks with you.

Transformers: Fate of Cybertron does what it needs to. It wraps up the current volume in a nice package delivering the hope that Optimus and the Autobots represent. It’s not a memorable finale, but it is one. For those who have read the series up to this point, you might get a bit more out of it all but from the casual reader, it doesn’t feel like an ending to remember.

Till all are one.

Story: Brian Ruckley Art: Andrew Griffith, Winston Chan, Alex Milne, Ed Pirrie, Angel Hernandez
Color: Josh Burcham, Josh Perez, David García Cruz Letterer: Jake M. Wood
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics