War for the Core! Deep within Cybertron, the ultimate weapon to kill all Transformers is about to be activated! Meanwhile, Elita One plans to stop the weapon-by killing every human on Cybertron! Either way, looks like some species on Cybertron is going down unless Optimus Prime and Scarlett can save the day…

The crossover between M.A.S.K., G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Micronauts wraps up here with a hell of an ending and a comic event that really feels like it. There’s a hell of a twist ending that I didn’t see coming and sets up a new status quo to come in the “Hasbro Universe.”

Written by Mairghread Scott and David A. Rodriguez, First Strike #6 sees the showdowns you want and a hell of a lot of conflict. But, lets face it, we want to see Scarlett take on Joe Colton and we get exactly that with a fight that shows how much of a badass Scarlett is. It’s good. It’s really good. Then there’s… well I don’t want to ruin it but there’s a lot of players here.

If there’s one negative, it feels like the plot with Optimus betraying the Council gets wrapped up or overlooked to quick but that might be handled later in other series. There’s only so much you can fit in.

Then there’s the prologue story which will have every Transformers fan squeal. It’s awesome…. real awesome. But mix that reveal in with the twist at the end of this comic and it’s the next phase of the “Hasbro Universe” making it clearer how one aspect fits in more.

The art by Max Dunbar and James Raiz is great. Dunbar handles the main story and he does a great job being able to fit lots in despite having so many characters to deal with and such different sizes. It’s impressive to do, especially since there’s some solid framing of the action. Raiz gets to show off the impact of it all and teases what’s next. There’s some great design and to see the pain of Metroplex and what that leads to is cool to see, especially how it’s all revealed.

This event as a whole has felt like the type of battle I did as a kid pitting my toys against each other. It’s been fun and entertaining but the reveal at the end takes it all to the next level and has me excited to see what comes next.

Story: Mairghread Scott, David Rodriguez Art: Max Dunbar, James Raiz
Cover: Freddie Williams II
Story: 8.35 Art: 8.35 Overall: 8.35 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review