You're Safe Now
(Spoiler free-ish)
SynopsisPEACE IN OUR TIME! STARSCREAM and WINDBLADE have given everything to bring together CYBERTRON’s Lost Colonies into a Council Of Worlds. But when the increasingly brutal tactics of STARSCREAM’s secret police increase tension among the former DECEPTICONS… how long can the Council maintain this fragile peace?
By sitting in circles!We've seen the actions and influence that Windblade, as a character, has brought to the Transformers universe in recent years, from her introduction in Dark Cybertron, the first story arc in the mini, the creation of the Council of Worlds in the second - let's get back to where it started, then and see what the new Starscream-led Cybertron is up to.
Um...Ironhide, actually, is the character getting the most page-time in this first issue, and a fitting choice it is: he's been a constant in the IDW verse, and he's gone through a lot of weird things, and as we know, is now at times a little lost in this new, wider world. Mairghread Scott uses Ironhide's almost neutral status as the pivot for a lot of the story, though sometimes misses his voice, as if unsure what he should be sounding like - which may, saying that now, be intentional given the above.
Mellow banterOne of the points I'd question concerns the Combaticon crew, Brawl in particular - whom we've seen up until recent as being a big player for the new Decepticons (both Soundwave and Galvatron's sides), and is now suddenly not really doing much. But with the team being so crucial to the story, there may be more for him to shine again.
SWINDLllgfgdfmmfmWindblade is prominent, of course, though not more than necessary, as the streets of Iacon and their inhabitants are really what's at the fore. The Badgeless, the ex-factions, the factionless, the newcomers from the ex-colonies - something is bound to happen, and something does, and Starscream may or may not know what is what, and who is where. And we get a reference to the big unsolved Chromia moment from the first trade, as a result, too.
ArtSara Pitre Durocher is on the full art duties for the book (except for
Revolution) and we ok - it's phenomenal work. Moving between body language, panel layouts, facial expressions, we get a very unsure Ironhide, a determined Windblade, a nasty Starscream and a truly ominous Obsidian. Each character has their own demeanour again, which is just. great.
Variations on a theme of 'I want to murderkill you'Priscilla Tramontano comes in with the mastery of colours, perfectly in sync with the linework, and playing wonderfully with tone and lighting, giving different hues and shades to the different locations. They're crisp, they're clean, they're clear, they're wonderfully appropriate. And the glow of the various optics - especially the Badgeless visors - is just great.
And we get some great backgrounds, tooThis is probably the first time I will say something negative about the lettering, once more by Tom B. Long: the order of some of the dialogues seems a little off on certain pages (e.g. the first Council session), which through me a little. That said, the rest of the work is its usual excellency! Let's look at the covers, then - not only is Pitre Durocher's main cast piece lusciously triumphant, we also have the more tone-appropriate Tramontano
Batman Ironhide
one, and Teyowisonte Thomas Deer bring his skills to another Pitre Durocher Metroplex/Windblade (thumbnail); plus, more exclusives from Alex Milne and Josh Perez than you can shake a piston at!
ThoughtsSpoilerish aheadScott has always had a penchant for the more horrorific storylines, and the start to this new chapter is nothing different: yes, it's a political crime thriller, touching on authoritarian brutality, perceptions of differences and discrimination, the turmoils of an increasingly populated planet - but we're going to chop people's heads on the way too. It's a hook, and it got me.
There, tied inPair that, and the rising tension between all the major players, with some excellent art - both in composition and in expression - from Pitre Durocher, and of course Tramontano's colours, and you have a very strong start to a new Cybertronian chapter, and one that I am extremely intrigued and invested in already. Just look at my signature on here. Someone lives.
