Last Stand of the Wreckers: Part II - Stand Laster
(Spoiler free-ish)
SynopsisTHE WRECKERS RETURN! Somebody’s kidnapped PROWL… but does anybody want him back? A lifetime of messing with everybody’s lives comes around to haunt him. Fortunately, he’s always got a plan. In this case… the one team of brutal, broken heroes… the WRECKERS!
Such hero, much brokenIt has taken some time to convince Nick Roche and the editorial team over at IDW to bring a bunch of clutch munching piston-lickers back to the stage - but years later, here we are again, sans James Roberts, looking at a very different status quo, a similar roster of names and faces, and a much, much darker (if possible) storyline.
Good start..?We start from where we left in Last Stand, with the passing of time having passed, and done its thing, Springer still in a coma, Impactor and whatever is left of the Wreckers trying to find their place in the new reality of Cybertron and the Council of Worlds. The transition is seamless, in accounting for the time that sits between the two stories.
Establishing shotWe also identify the two majorly major players of the story - from this point, at least - in Verity Carlo and Kup, two people who have all the reasons to dislike Prowl, with a passion, though not necessarily with the knowledge to do so especially in Kup's case.
..and of course, this guyOne concern I do have, though it has been addressed by Roche and IDW more in general, is to do with the exact placing of this story. There are significant scenes with the Ark that do not coincide with The Transformers #47, and something seems to have shifted in Prowl's disappearance, too. That said, in John Barber we trust.
ArtThe visual team, linework and layouts at least, is still concentrated in the hands and floppy hair of Roche himself, and he brings, in my opinion, something quite different to the previous Wreckers outing in Last Stand, and something perhaps more fitting to the tone he has set for his own story this time round. That, and a combination of some really dynamic work in the layouts.
Stakepunch!A tone, of course, that has been perfectly captured and even enhanced in the chromatic wonders of Josh Burcham, who delivers a variety of lonelinesses depending on the scenes, characters, and environments. Blending a very dirty, gritty colouring and lighting for indoor conversations, and cold colours for outdoors Nome, the isolation is palpable.
Greyscale and sepia - mmhmmUnsurprisingly, Tom B. Long is taking up lettering duties, and there is nothing I have to say that the lettering doesn't do for itself. Tone aside, we get snippets into the dark humour of the book, and the dynamics established among the cast. A cast which is, for the most part, highlighted on the covers with Roche and Burcham giving a cinematographic feel to the main one, guests Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire offering a magnificent Impactor, and Alex Milne teaming up with Josh Perez for a Springer-tastic LSTOW variant (thumbnailed).
ThoughtsSpoilerish aheadWe've seen it with Redemption, we've seen it in recent issue of The Transformers, it has been running in the Scavengers arc, and more so in this week's release of MTMTE - the status quo for the TFverse has changed. Some characters have not. Some characters are trying to adapt. Some cannot. This is their story, as told by cruel Nick Roche.
Look at that smug mugTight editing on the book will ensure that everything slides into place, I'm sure, removing the only major criticism I have of the issue. There are some surprisingly poignant, powerful, ominous, intriguing moments which you just need to enjoy. Make sure you take a break between this and MTMTE, too.
