As a child of the 1980s, I loved watching Transformers. There was nothing like it, as the cartoon got me into mecha anime altogether. It showed a world where robots coexisted with humans. It also gave me one of my first examples of good and evil.  We saw the Autobots and Decepticions as refugees from planet light-years away from Earth who brought their conflict to our world.

The cartoon was pure fun growing up and was able to surprise fans with major moments like the death in Transformers: The Movie. It rocked most of us to the core, killing off a major character. I still think of how I felt when I saw it and how deaths in most cartoons now are no longer shocking. In the debut issue of Transformers: The Last Bot Standing, we catch up with Rodimus Prime

We’re taken to the planet, Donnokt where a spaceship has just crash landed on this desert planet. We also meet one of the locals, Shib, who runs a small mining business with her brothers. Everything gets tuned on it s head when long slumbering secrets wake up bringing a conflict to Donnokt. By the issue’s end we’re left with many questions as we ponder what the conflict is and how certain bots arrived in the situation they’re in.

Overall, Transformers: The Last Bot Standing #1 is a great beginning to this space western. The story by Nick Roche is exciting. The art by the creative team is gorgeous. Altogether, it’s a story that’s a fine addition to the Space Western canon.

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

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