Mobbing Along
(Spoiler free-ish)
SynopsisPANIC ON THE STREETS OF CYBERTRON! As STARSCREAM’S secret police continue on their rampage, IRONHIDE is caught between the BADGLESS and a population looking for retribution!
YyupWe're back on Cybertron once more, as the second issue of the new Transformers: Till All Are One ongoing series from IDW Publishing hits the stands (be they digital or physical) - and there is little time lost since last month's issue, as the streets boil, the 'law' is questioned, and Starscream looks on, apprehensive.
In his own wayWe had already seen Ironhide as being one of the major players in the first issue, but it feels like he's more of an instrument of the new orders trying to establish themselves than anything fully agent - though time will tell on this front. He is charismatic, and his dialogue works better now that emotion runs a little higher, too.
See? CharmingWho really gets the spotlight this time round though, are the Combaticons, with Onslaught and Blastoff in particular hogging all of the spotlight. Mairghread Scott has not only tapped into their 'original' writing, but has given them an extra spin in the new post-colonial, post-war, post-combiner, and the interactions all show their individual voices, in both clash and rapport.
Con-raderie?While Starscream is a pleasure to read in this new take on his dry approach to life, the weariness and edge to his voice is palpable, and an interesting way to see where it might all go. Add that to the fact that Obsidian is obviously planning things with Elita One, and you got yourself the political intrigue we were (/I was) looking for. More thoughts below.
ArtIn how many ways can one Starscream be depicted as bored, despondent, scheming and trying to feign superiority? Sara Pitre-Durocher manages quite a few, with a truly entertaining and impressive array of facial expressions. That, and some really effectively used cinematographic techniques in the more fraught discussion and scenes, create a palpable sense of underlying tension across the whole book - as there should well be.
Mob. TenseMuch like last issue, again, Priscilla Tramontano bring some clean, crisp colouring to the linework, and gives some nice depth to the larger crowd scenes, picking out details where needed, and making the mob more mob-like on the other side of the coin. The glow of the various optics is a nice touch, too, and one I keep going back to admire.
New Instagram Filter - DOWNLOAD NOWTom B. Long, despite not having the space to have too much fun with the fonts, does a great job, and my quibbles with last month's issue are nowhere to be found this time. I have also tried showing off the multiple covers in previous stories, with the regular, and powerful Pitre-Durocher Windblade taking the main stage, followed by her collaboration with Thomas Teyowisonte Deer on the ROM variant, and finally, this review's thumbnail variant, by Carlos Valenzuela.
ThoughtsSpoilerish aheadAllow me an excursus: I have some ideological concerns with the direction that some of the story is taking, especially in terms of handling powers and justice systems - trying not to spoil anything here - but am also willing to see how it's employed in the larger picture. The political drama being set up (the multiple stages, even) are promising something fairly big, and I don't just mean another combiner.
While a little slower than the previous issue, this month's TAAO brings the set-up that the new status quo on Cybertron probably needs, from a fictional standpoint, and it does it well; it also manages to sneak in a number of issues that can easily be found in our own reality, and that is where I am really interested in their handling and development, hoping for a critical evaluation of sorts, really. Plus, it all looks So Good.
