ALL HAIL OPTIMUS
(Spoiler free-ish)
SynopsisALL HAIL OPTIMUS—PART 1! Backed by an army of zealous followers, OPTIMUS PRIME declares Earth to be a part of CYBERTRON’S Council of Worlds—and the DECEPTICONS and the people of Earth don’t won’t take it laying down! The story starts here, but the repercussions will last forever.
Windblade, tryingFifty issues. Think about that. Fifty. That's over half the original Marvel US run. And this is but one part of the wider TF universe running over at IDW. What John Barber, with the other creators, have done, is impressive. And what he brings to the table this month, even after the weirdly disappointing issue last time, is equally impressive, and a testament to the world-building that has taken place up to this point.
Plus, Bob and Buster are hereOverall, I really enjoyed the issue. While we may have seen a lot of Optimus' introspection of recent (and since DOOP, to be honest) the new turn in the story allows for that to be externalised in such a way that it actually affects the wider universe - and perhaps most importantly, the characters who inhabit it. Things are changing, and changing drastically and swiftly, by the looks of it.
Er.. ok.I will get the 'negative' thoughts about the issue out of the way, too, as it mostly has to do with the latter part of the issue and the overall length - and I'm taking cues from fellow staffer ScottyP here, too: the pacing is something to behold, until we hit the Spike Witwicky bump. Again. We do not like Spike, we are not supposed to, but he's made to be some sort of necessary
prick evil for the series and human-Cybertronian relations (not always in the most diplomatic of ways). I like how much I dislike him, but.. I still dislike him, and his arc throws a lot of things off.
Just shut up, will youThat said, the human (more or less, in some cases) factor in the issue is well developed, and coming in as late as it does, plus the afterstory, it helps to show the at least two sides of where the story might go from here. Humans are no longer just that, just as Cybertronians are no longer just aliens - and the ramifications, from a socio-political and narrative perspective, are fascinating.
ArtThe art side of things is really interesting, with Andrew Griffith, the first artist, taking on the majority of the book and its weightier, meatier (metal-ier?) substance. I am still really quite impressed at his take on some of character designs, and the collaboration with Josh Burcham, Josh Perez
and JP Bove on the colours brings out the sinister side of some of the action taking place, and helps locate the controversial position of Optimus' decision: practically everyone is weary, worn out, and exhausted. You can feel it.
Seriously exhaustedThe coda, of sorts, that Casey Coller offers, is a wonderful addition (with the above proviso about pacing, perhaps) for the human side of things, and a refreshing look with Joana Lafuente's colour work - though maybe with some overly heavy inks by Jamie Snell in places, given Coller's really quite fine pencilwork - at the multiple Cybertronian repercussions of the events on Earth.
Political Power Grab!All that, as well as Sara Pitre-Durocher's brief stint in what has led up to this point, in the Previously section of the book, wonderfully crisp in its recap. As crisp, of course, as the work that the two letterers bring to the exasperation, adrenaline, frustration, anger, and force of the voices in the book - the effort that Tom B. Long and Chris Mowry put into this is not to be underestimated.
Extra image, because Sara Pitre-DurocherWith the landmark status of the book, we were bound to get a slew of covers, from the main Griffith/Thomas Deer annexation, to the Coller/Bove Optimus triumphant variant, via big shots Jonathan Hickman and Mike Choi's interpretations of the AHO concept - plus, of course, a special Comicave variant by Livio Ramondelli, with a twist on a familiar theme (thumbnailed), and another piece of the Alex Milne/Perez mural.
ThoughtsSpoilerish aheadThere are so many very things I have chosen not to talk about in the review, to allow readers to enjoy the experience of one of the most fast-paced, action packed, politically charged, arc-tying, positively tiring, visually enticing pieces of Transformers fiction. As arcs go, the beginning of All Hail Optimus promises very very well, and has managed to bring the conflict and Earth back together in a rather poignant and significant manner. Applause all round for the team, truly.
Optimus Whine is back!A lot of the things I was thinking about as I read the issue, and as I was writing the review, are pretty much covered in Barber's lovely words at the end of the book. I really do recommend taking some time to look at that afterword - but in case you don't, this part stands out in particular: a comment from Michael Kelly, from Hasbro, as AHO was pitched. 'Make sure these characters are people, and you guys have done it. You wouldn't be able to do a story like this if you hadn't.' Even with all the slips, the stumbled events, the jarring moments in the series, The Transformers have undoubtedly conquered Earth once more - here's to a peaceful coexistence, and productive dialogue with us as readers.
