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Review: Transformers: Fate of Cybertron

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Transformers: Fate of Cybertron

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

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics

Review: Transformers/Back to the Future

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Transformers/Back to the Future

As a 80s kid, I feel like I grew up in the heyday of Saturday morning cartoons. There was nothing like waking up at 6:00a.m, those mornings and watching cartoons all the way through lunch. At first, it was only a few cartoons that we would watch and mostly on one channel. As time went on, and the television networks began to compete, figuring out what to watch became more of a burden.

I, of course, have my favorites to this day, one of the most recent ones being revitalized, was the two versions on Netflix, of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.  The other one being Transformers, which has seen it revitalized via movies and its own series on Netflix. As nostalgia is big business and any time fans get to see two franchises cross over, it is often met with excitement. In another crossover from IDW we get Transformers /Back To the Future, where the worlds collide in a completely new adventure.

We are taken to 1985, where Doc Brown has just time traveled to 2015 in his DeLorean, but what make this time different is a pair of Decepticons, Starscream and Ravage, were spying on him, deducing that humans have figured out time travel through quantum physics. Eventually Megatron finds out, and so does the Autobots, thanks to Bumblebee, which changes everything in the future. As Doc Brown’s neighbor and protégé, Marty McFly, awakens the next morning after Doc Brown time traveled, to a world ran by Decepticons.as he finds a way to escape the prisoner camp that his family is in, and finds a new Autobot, Gigawatt, who just so happens to transform to a DeLorean. As Marty adjusts to this new reality, he even finds out that his skateboard is a Transformer named Skilz, and he also finds out how they came into power. As Rumble from the Decepticons followed him to 2015, and proceeded to take over Earth using technology from Cybertron. Eventually, Doc Brown reemerges, looking to liberate Earth from Decepticons, through inspiring others and by chance, runs into Marty and the Autobots with his parents.  It would not be too long before Megatron’s spies come out of the woodwork, and a fight between the Autobots and Decepticons take place on Hill Valley’s town square, one that would reveal a Decepticon hiding in plain sight, The Clock Tower. As the Autobots fight the Clock Tower, Marty and Doc realize they must travel to 1985 to stop the Decepticons form the following them to the future. By Book’s end, Martyy awakens the Autobots before the Decepticons could sabotage them, Biff becomes the Autobots mechanic and everything is right in the world when he goes back to 1985.

Overall, Transformers/Back to the Future is an excellent crossover that will have fans of both franchises cheering them on in this fun escapade to the future. The story by Scott is exciting. The art by the creative team is beautiful. Altogether, one of the better crossover stories IDW have done in a long while.

Story: Cavan Scott Art: Juan Samu
Color: David Garcia Cruz Letterer: Neil Uyetake
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 – Bookshop

Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation – Mirror Universe Collection

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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Mirror Universe Collection

As far back as I can remember Star Trek has been one of those franchises that always been part of the public imagination. Permeating throughout popular culture, leading to even George Lucas admitting the franchise’s influence on his Star Wars saga.  Even though I watched and enjoyed the original series, the movies including the original cast, and the cartoon series, it was definitely before my time. What really got me pulled into this universe was The Next Generation series.

I remembered the first episode where we met the crew, and of course, Data is who stood out. The other aspect of Star Trek, I have enjoyed are the ever-interesting Mirror Universe episodes, which every show that came after the original series got to has enjoyed, except for ST: TNG. As it would have been an interesting endeavor by the show, giving us a different view of our favorite characters. In David and Scott Tipton’s Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Mirror Universe Collection, we get some wish-fulfillment in a trio of comic stories which shows just how menacing our heroes are in the Mirror Universe.

In “Mirror Broken,”, we’re introduced to the crew of the ISS Stargazer and their insidious captain, Jean Luc Picard and belongs to the once-powerful Terran Empire, and where Vulcans are slaves to the powerful Klingon-Cardassian alliance, which gives Picard the perfect opportunity to assemble the crew we know, but more ominous, to take over the Enterprise and give the Empire an advantage over their enemies with a long-dormant weapon. In “Origin of Data”, we get an interesting side story of how Picard recruited Data to his ranks in this alternate dimension. In “Through the Mirror”, the ISS Enterprise crosses over to the Prime Star Trek universe where they meet the heroes we know and looks to conquer worlds in their dimension, while the mirror universe Picard hatches a plan to infiltrate the Enterprise which leads to a tense standoff between both crews. In “Ripe for Plunder”, Data goes on a solo mission to find Emperor Spock, who was thought to be long dead and reveals long-hidden keys to Picard’s plans. In the last story, “Terra Incognita”, one of the show’s long-endeared characters takes a baleful turn as his evil doppelganger infiltrates the Prime Universe Enterprise crew.

Overall, Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Mirror Universe Collection is an exciting set of stories that play with alternate universes and realities masterfully. The stories by the Tiptons are engrossing and exciting. The art by the creative teams is beautiful. Altogether, a collection that gives more than fan service, as it stretches the imagination and the possibilities, infinite.

Story: Scott Tipton and David Tipton
Art: J.K. Woodward, Charlie Kirchoff, Josh Hood, Marcus To, Chris Johnson, Carlos Nieto, Debora Carita, Tony Shasteen, Angel Hernandez
Color: Jason Lewis, Brittany Peer, Jason Lewis, David Garcia Cruz, Fran Gamboa, Jay Fotos, Jo Mettler, Mark Roberts
Letterer: Andworld Design, Neil Uyetake
Story: 9.8 Art: 9.6 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides

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Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides

The forces of evil are back in Baldur’s Gate and this time, they have some truly heinous stuff planned in Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides. As they try to force the plane of Avernus into the more natural world, a group of heroes will need to rise up and stop them. A group with a good balance of skills. Possibly, one with a miniature giant space hamster. Yes, Minsc and company return to Baldur’s Gate to kick butts.

I feel that there is a lot to like about Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides. It brings back Jim Zub and Max Dunbar. All the creative teams have knocked it out of the park but Zub is a bit more involved with the properties and it just shows in how these tales are delivered. Quickly, you know who is who and what they can do. We see the threat quickly and the story builds them up. But, the one thing I think that might be the most important is that when you have a cast like the one that Infernal Tides has, it’s important to craft their individual voices. Zub makes them feel like a true party and while a character like Minsc has such a strong, outstanding personality, he doesn’t drown everyone out.

Max Dunbar illustrates another great Dungeons & Dragons story. Paired with Sebastian Cheng, David Garcia Cruz, and Neil Uyetake, Infernal Tides features a lot of great character design and action sequences. I thought there was a really great 2-page splash in issue 2. As someone who has been reading these adventures since Evil At Baldur’s Gate, it’s good to have a colorist that I think is perfect for Max Dunbar’s art.

Ultimately, IDW Publishing does Dungeons & Dragons right. I’ve been really happy with all of the stories they’ve done but I do feel there’s something a bit more special, exciting and enjoyable about Jim Zub and Max Dunbar working on a tale set in Baldur’s Gate. Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides ends up as another truly enjoyable tale of Minsc and company that’s sure to keep fantasy readers enthralled.

Story: Jim Zub Art: Max Dunbar
Colors: Sebastian Cheng, David Garcia Cruz Letters: Neil Uyetake
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: Transformers/Back to the Future #1 (of 4)

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Transformers/Back to the Future #1

IDW Publishing has been having fun lately bringing together properties you’d never expect. Much has revolved around the Transformers who have had recent comic miniseries featuring My Little Pony and Ghostbusters. And, both of those have been great with a fun spin on the properties and a crossover that works. The latest adventure for the Transformers takes them through time as Marty McFly and Back to the Future takes center stage. Transformers/Back to the Future #1 kicks things off with a story that works, makes sense, and uses the strength of both properties.

Written by Cavan Scott, Transformers/Back to the Future #1 is the setup to the familiar ending where Marty is told he needs to go and fix the timestream to save everything. The debut issue is full of the familiar in both winks and nods and it’s storytelling. There are scenes directly lifted from the original Back to the Future but done in a way that it sets up what happens and helps introduce that classic film to new readers.

What’s interesting is that Scott just blends the two worlds. This isn’t a story where they’re part of a multiverse or some weird portal like the My Little Pony crossover. Instead, it’s 1984 and the Decepticons and Autobots are on Earth like the classic television series and comics. It just so happens Marty and Doc Brown also live on the world as well and doing their thing. It’s just a simple solution to bring the two properties together and avoids a messy explanation. It also plays a bit with what feels like the original crossover with the Transformers and G.I. Joe. They just so happen to be on the same planet.

Scott delivers a straightforward concept for those that enjoy Back to the Future and the direction from the first issue is simple. And keeping it simple is a good thing. With time travel it can get complicated and here it’s not with motivations that make sense for all. We’re left with similar questions from other films, what needs to be done to fix the timestream and how did it get messed up in the first place? That’s all part of the fun to come.

The art for Transformers/Back to the Future #1 is interesting. The style takes its queues from IDW’s Back to the Future comics with a more comedy/comic style to it. Juan Samu delivers exaggerated characters in the humans which creates a cartoon-like quality about it all. David Garcia‘s colors add to that with an end result that feels a lot like the Back to the Future cartoon. That works for the most part but with the more “serious” aspect of the Transformers, it’s at times a weird mix that leads to some tonal issues for the comic. There’s some comedy but then there’s enslavement? It’s a weird mix and clashes in some ways.

I generally enjoyed Transformers/Back to the Future #1. There’s a fun aspect to it all where it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It also knows its material and feels like it revels in switching up some of the roles and aspects in Back to the Future to fit the Transformers in. It’s what comics should be, fun. For fans of both properties, it’ll get you to want to buckle up and go back in time.

Story: Cavan Scott Art: Juan Samu
Color: David Garcia Cruz Letterer: Neil Uyetake
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics

Review: Transformers vs. Terminator #1

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TRANSFORMERS VS. TERMINATOR #1

1984 was a pretty important year with so many of today’s beloved pop culture properties debuting during that year. Transformers and The Terminator were two of them and 36 years later, the two properties meet in this new miniseries. Transformers vs. Terminator #1 delivers an interesting debut that’s a twist on the classic story. Unfortunately, something falls a little short in the actual delivery.

David Mariotte, Tom Waltz, and John Barber all contribute to the story with Mariotte and Barber credited as writing it. It’s a familiar story with a warrior from the future sent back in time to prevent an apocalypse. In this case, a Terminator is sent back to protect Skynet from its enemies, Transformers. It’s a twist on the original story putting Skynet in the role of the resistance. Sarah Conner is involved still and the Terminator is the T-800 version, though the likeness to Arnold is… not close.

By trying to give us a twist on the original film, the first issue feels like a bad copy devoid of original and interesting ideas. Compare that to the recent crossover between Transformers and Ghostbusters which was packed with them. And that’s part of the problem with this debut. The entire comic feels “not close.”

There’s clunky dialogue. The sequence of events is a bit choppy. There’s just a lot there that feels off like an odd generic version of the classic. The story easily could have been the Resistance we knew taking on a Skynet/Transformers alliance but instead it delivers a “no matter who wins, we lose” storyline. There’s hints of something really cool here but as delivered it falls flat. The cool factor isn’t there, even if the concept is a childhood mash-up.

Part of the issue is the art by Alex Milne. While the Transformers look fantastic, the T-800 is bad. There’s attempts to make it look like the original film but it just doesn’t work. Add in the attempt to translate Arnold’s awkward delivery and it’s art that’s either exciting or feels like a comedic take.

Transformers vs. Terminator #1 should be an easy one to nail down. But, this debut stumbles from the beginning. From bad dialogue to at times iffy art, there’s just so many crossovers for both properties that’s better and more worth your time.

Story: David Mariotte, Tom Waltz, John Barber
Written: David Mariotte, John Barber
Art: Alex Milne Color: David Garcia Cruz: Letterer: Jake M. Wood
Story: 6.0 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.0 Recommendation: Pass

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

CMON’s Arcadia Quest Comes to Comics and IDW Publishing

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Starcadia Quest

Game developer CMON’s highly-anticipated tabletop game (and Kickstarter darling) Starcadia Quest will come to comics beginning in August, courtesy of IDW Publishing. The first-ever expansion of the Starcadia universe, this three-issue miniseries welcomes James Roberts – the fan-favorite and critically acclaimed writer of Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye and Lost Light – to craft a wild new adventure for Starkid and his Freelance Adventuring Crew.

The comic is old-school science fiction with a modern twist mashing up classic space opera tropes with weird twists and turns. As it’s a game, the comic helps the world-building aspects of this world and setting.

Illustrated by Aurelio Mazzara and colored by David García Cruz, Starcadia Quest takes comic readers and game fans deep into the Frontier, where the toughest jobs in the galaxy are handled by Freelance Adventuring Crews. On his sixteenth birthday, the delivery boy known as Starkid sends out a call for the best recruits he can get… at his local Stardollars coffee shop. An action-packed and hilarious QWST begins!

The game and comic features solid character design, homages to science fiction movies and enemies, and acknowledges the stories and tropes that have come before. All of that and some laugh out-loud humor.

As a special bonus, each issue of Starcadia Quest will be jam-packed with additional pages’ worth of exclusive playable content, allowing readers to incorporate the issue’s story elements into their tabletop gameplay!

Review: Transformers: Unicron #4

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Unicron sets his sights on Earth… but is anyone left to defend it?

The end nears. Transformers: Unicron is THE story bringing together years of plotlines together. With references to G.I. Joe, Visionaries, the comic reads like concepts explored too little. Written by John Barber, the event brings the doombringer Unicron into the Transformers universe as part of a plan by Shockwave to rule all. With the Transformer colonies destroyed, Unicron has set its focus on Cybertron. And, with the results of this issue, it’s clear that we may be looking at the end of what we’ve known about IDW’s Transformers or the end of IDW’s run of Transformers.

There’s death. Lots of death. There’s destruction. Lots of destruction. Characters we love are killed off and everything is on the table as to what goes. It feels like everything is by end.

The issue is crammed packed with so much, much of it feels like cut scenes of a movie giving us 30 second bites as to what’s going on. Those cut scenes still give opportunity for heroes to be that and for fans to mourn their loss. Barber, along with art by Alex Milne, color from Sebastian Cheng and David Garcia Cruz, and lettering by Tom B. Long, are delivering a cinematic event. It’s an update on the classic animated film incorporating the Hasbro Universe concepts. Some of that isn’t given enough to shine with so much thrown at us.

The art is jawdropping with scenes that evoke my memory of Unicron raking his hand across Cybertron so many years ago. There’s lots here, lots packed in, and the artistic team pulls it off giving nothing short shrift.

The back-up story features the Micronauts and it’s ok, an bonus to the main feast. It’s ending of a “thanks to all of you” has me wondering if the Hasbro Universe’s time at IDW is up? That simple line along with the epic changes happening within the main story point to nothing being the same.

The comic continues an epic event that lives up the promise and shows you can do big budget popcorn event comics and make them work. The team taps into the emotion of it all giving us deaths that feel heroic and remind us “till all are one.”

Story: John Barber Art: Alex Milne
Color: Sebastian Cheng, David Garcia Cruz Letterer: Tom B. Long
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: Transformers vs. Visionaries #4

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Transformers vs. Visionaries #4

Story: Magdalene Visaggio
Art: Fico Ossio
Color: David Garcia Cruz
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Cover A: Fico Ossio
Cover B: Luca Pizzari
Cover RI: Brendan Cahill, Lauren Bennett
Editors: Sarah Gaydos, David Mariotte

Leoric and Ironhide only have hours left to save Cybertron from destruction, while Virulina tries to harness the life energy of Leoric’s captured friends to accelerate the end. Now Leoric must somehow detonate the counter-wave bomb and rescue his people. And the clock is ticking.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Preview: Transformers vs. Visionaries #3

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Transformers vs. Visionaries #3

Story: Magdalene Visaggio Art: Fico Ossio Cover: Fico Ossio
Color: David Garcia Cruz Letterer: Shawn Lee
Editor: Sarah Gaydos, David Mariotte

The clock is ticking! Leoric finds himself exiled from New Prysmos by Virulina, who Merklynn has named the new leader of all the Visionaries. Can Leoric and his loyalists save Cybertron from being totally changed into a new homeworld for his people? Should they?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

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