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Greetings Seibertronians! Fellow Seibertron user, LinaNui, has dropped us a line to tell us that Transformers toy reviewer and also fellow Seibertron user, PrimeVsPrime, has done a video review of the forthcoming Wave 2 Deluxe Class Transformers Earthrise Arcee! This is a new take on Generation 1 design Arcee, and up to now her design has brought mixed feelings to Transformers fans with how much her alt mode is parts formed. She's also faced comparisons not only with the Thrilling 30 toy, but the Transformers Cyberverse Deluxe Arcee that's also coming soon.
Check out the review below to hear PrimeVsPrime's thoughts and see if they chime with, or even change yours.
What do you think about this review? Will this Arcee be gracing your collection? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
I liked this issue. It is actually my favourite issue of the ones I have reviewed for the site. Of course that doesn't mean much, all I needed was an issue with less stairs and talking. And funny enough, I don't recall any prominent stairs here, instead it was more star wars type walkways and ramps. Now that i think of it, for a species that turns into cars, don't ramps make more sense than stairs? Why even have stairs? Eh, moving on.
This issue feels like a breath of fresh air compared to previous ones in the sense that it feels more like a spotlight issue. There is definitely still some world building, like the logic behind new bots being created, but no one is sitting around talking about it. Instead we see it through actions and other fun interactions. While she isn't spotlit on this issue's two main covers, the spotlight is really on Arcee. I do like how the idea of her being a hardened warrior is kept from the previous continuity, without being too world weary either. And we get more Greenlight here than we've ever gotten in G1 so hurray for that too.
It is a very simple story, just getting from point A to point B while kicking ass and taking names, ala Escape from New York, which works very well for these other characters born of the 80s. I did like the action, it was very well framed by the artists, though I did wonder the effectiveness of some moves. There is a really prominent shot of an antagonist throwing energon cubes at Arcee and you get the sense that he is skilled at this, but the next shot is just them bumping off her like they were empty cardboard boxes. It would have been more impressive to see her dodge them acrobatically, unless I was supposed to know that Arcee now has wonder woman gauntlets. It just felt a tad underwhelming after the emphasis on the battle.
Speaking of the artists, this issue had 2, Bethany McGuire-Smith and Umi Miyao, and I felt both their styles worked well with this issue. The change in artist never felt jarring, I wouldn't even have known if I wasn't told. It is of course helped a lot by Josh Burcham being the only colourist on this issue and giving it a very even feel. The art itself was fine, a bit reminiscent of Nick Roche (especially when coloured by Josh Burcham) but I did have some issue with the faces. Arcee especially is given a Jay leno chin and there are some shots in the issue where her Lea bunns helmet is cut off from the frame and it was not obvious it was her. Also, I never thought of Transformers sweating, but the artists give it a shot in this issue and it instead comes off as Arcee having a bad case of acnee.
The covers available feature Umi Miyao as the main cover artist and Beth Mcguire-Smith as the artist for cover B. I will say none really do it for me, especially the main cover where I couldn't even tell that was Greenlight. My favourite cover of the bunch is Kei Zama's retailer incentive which looks incredible, and does have Arcee in the spotlight. Regardless of my personal tastes, I do find it incredible that we all these covers are by talented women. It's a nice touch for international women's day, whether intentional or not, and it's nice to highlight diversity in this field which has been dominated by men since inception.
As always, you can also find images of all of the book's covers along with full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Transformers #18.
Verdict
Straight and to the point, just like I like em. Nothing too fancy, but it hit the spot for some Transformers fiction and I definitely wouldn't mind reading more from these characters, which is something I thought I would never say about this series.
For many years, the Transformers G1 Manga from Japan eluded Transformers fans. It was once the stuff of much desire and wild speculation. Around October 2002, Million Publishing (currently known as Hero-X), publishers of the popular Transformers Generations series of books, released the first ever compilation of the Generation One manga alongside a Lucky Draw Black Tracks. The manga compilation was titled "Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Comics".
This amazing book came into my personal collection courtesy of a purchase I made at OTFCC 2003. Within its many pages were some of the most incredible artwork of the Autobots and Decepticons drawn in such a unique style for someone used to the styles of the Marvel Transformers comic books and the original Sunbow Transformers cartoons. I have enjoyed looking at the beautiful renditions of the Transformers characters who were drawn in a familiar manga or anime style by the very talented Ban Magami, yet very distinct from other popular artistic renderings to which most Hasbro-market Transformers fans are accustomed.
However, as sensational as the images of our favorite "robots in disguise" were to my eyes and my imagination, I had no damn idea what the heck was happening in the book. Well, other than what was actually shown, and even then it was sometimes challenging to understand what I was looking at due to the small black and white artwork. Needless to say, as much as I enjoyed looking at the back initially, it has spent the better part of the last 16 or so years in storage alongside my original Marvel Transformers comics and my prized (embarrassingly) KISS Players Manga collection.
Fast forward to March 11th, 2020. This is the day that Transformers: The Manga Volume 1 from Viz Media will be released at book and comic book stores nationwide. Special thanks to Viz Media for providing a sample copy of this book to Seibertron.com for review purposes. What makes this version unique, is that Masumi Kaneda's stories would finally be translated to English at very long last. After so much time, the stories of the Transformers G1 manga would at last be known to Transformers fans outside of Japan.
The book's presentation is top notch. It is a great addition to the collections of those who appreciate Transformers Generation 1 fiction in all of its forms, as well as the collections of those who collect Manga. As exhilarating as Magami's artwork can be to those of us who can't get enough of this style, the stories were slightly more juvenile than for which I was hoping (though highly suspected) after years of looking over these manga pages from the previous compilation.
However, I understand that this manga was intended for kids, as were the Marvel Transformers comics that have such a special place in my heart despite their many flaws. Despite the story's simplicity, I enjoyed the desired nostalgic rush as I plowed effortlessly through this book. Page after page, I sucked in as much eye candy as possible, which seemed to hit so many of the right spots, while finally being able to understand what was happening in the artwork which had been the stuff of wonder for so long.
Surprisingly, Abby Lark's translations were pretty spot on. To be honest, I was expecting various flaws, misspellings, incorrect character names or factions or other problems that are unfortunately common with Transformers translations. However, that wasn't to be the case with this book. Lark seemed to know her Transformers very well. The subgroups and characters were all appropriately named and the translations were all sensical. There were few, if any, errors. I was pleasantly surprised by this and truly appreciated the amount of time and effort it took to get all of these things right. The translations used in this book for Convoy, Bumble, Metroflex, Cybertrons, Destrons, etc, are the more well-known American names such as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Metroplex, Autobots and Decepticons respectively. This might bother some fans but is perfectly acceptable to most. It will be interesting to see how the translations are handled in Volume 2's Masterforce manga for various characters like Super Ginrai versus Powermaster Optimus Prime.
The last 74 pages of the page are dedicated to bringing some additional artwork into an "Illustration Works" gallery for your viewing pleasure. Many images within this gallery include promotional images for various episodes of the Fight Super Robot Lifeform Transformers cartoon through 2010 and the Headmasters series. In addition to this promotional artwork, there are some very detailed drawings of the alt modes for some characters like Jazz, Starscream, Wheelie, Springer, Arcee, Blurr, Scourge, and others. It is a very nice addition that I don't think was available in the original Japanese compilation (at least, not at this printed size) if I recall correctly.
While not as large as the original Japanese version from Million Publishing, it is only volume 1 out of 3 volumes. Volume 2 will be released later in May 2020 and should contain the remaining Headmasters stories along with the Masterforce. Volume 3 will be released later this year which will contain Victory, Zone, and Battle Star stories (Sidenote: who wants a Super Megatron toy after all of these years???). With a $24.99 cover price per book, it still costs less for all 3 volumes from Viz Media than the $80 I spent for the original Japanese compilation at OTFCC 2003 (not to mention inflation), which makes these books from Viz an absolute steal in my opinion, especially with the nice hard covers.
In addition to traditional brick-and-mortar stores, you'll be able to find Viz Media's Transformers: The Manga Volume 1 at various online outlets such as Amazon.com and the Seibertron Store. Transformers: The Manga Volume 2 through is currently available for pre-order through Amazon.com.
Transformers: The Manga's long sought after story is written by Masumi Kaneda, brought to life with artwork by the very talented Ban Magami, and made readable for those of us who can't read Japanese courtesy of Abby Lark, whose translations were seamlessly lettered and retouched into the original artwork by Brandon Bovia.
I would recommend this book for those of you who enjoy a nostalgic tug from the past and for those of you who enjoy Transformers Generation 1 fiction. If you're a die-hard Michael Bay Transformers Movie buff or only like comics with "deeper" meaning like some of the Transformers comics from IDW, than this might not be for you. If you can enjoy some of the lighter Transformers content intended for kids or just like awesome pics of cool lookin' Japanese styled robots, than this book is absolutely for you.
As for my rating? Well, by Primus, I am extremely biased and enjoy every page. It was a lot of fun to read through this book. I give it a loud and proud 4.5 Rodimus stars out of 5!
Greetings Seibertronians! As a break from all the WonderFestivalpictures, fellow Seibertron user and YouTube reviewer, Chuckdawg1999 as dropped us a line to let us know that he's done a review of one of the newest entries to the Cyberverse One-Step Changer line, Monsterbot Repungus!
Here's what Chuck has to say about this cute little monster of mayhem and we've embedded the review below for you to check out!
chuckdawg1999 wrote:This has to be one of the best if not the best One-Step Changers I've ever handled. The transformation is new and something I'd like to see used again, possibly with the other Monsterbots. The arms are by far the most articulated of any simplified figure utilizing ball-joints in the shoulders and elbows. I always say the One-Step Changers make for the perfect desk toy but Repugnus exemplifies the term. If you're someone who automatically turns their nose up at the mere mention of the phrase One-Step, you need to give this figure a look.
Will you be giving Repungus a chance? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
Thanks to InDemand Toys and Super Hero Toy Store we have some new stock images for the upcoming 2020 Studio Series toys, which many fans are excited about. These wave 8 deluxes include SS-49 Bumblebee (2007 Camaro from the first film), SS-50 WWII Hot Rod (The Last Knight)
SS-51 Soundwave with Laserbeak (Dark of the Moon) and SS-52 Arcee, Chromia, and Elita-1: 3-Pack which are three small figures sold at the deluxe price. The wave 8 voyagers will be SS-53 Constructicon Mixmaster (Revenge of the Fallen) and SS-54 Megatron (from the first film).
Speaking of Mixmaster, a video review has been uploaded. We thank MadProject for letting us know.
Free of any explicit spoilers, but some may be unintentionally implied. 'til all are gone?
It all (re)started with "The Death of Optimus Prime". Surprising no one, he wasn't really dead, and not even in a way requiring a true resurrection. The namesake character of this comic series has been defined throughout as both an idea and a character. With the opening pages leading off with the first lines of Bob Budiansky's original Tech Spec for Optimus Prime, you'll immediately recognize that we're starting at the start before we arrive to the end.
Here we are now at the end, with Optimus Prime, 27 (or 24) pages, and one of the longest uninterrupted Transformers stories ever created wrapping up. How did it go? Read on.
It's too late to emergency separate into the other book!
This is indeed the end with this issue serving as a final exhale, putting a cap on a good deal of unfinished business. More akin to Lost Light #25 than Unicron #6, Optimus Prime #25 provides final flashbacks and final thoughts with all the big, sweeping, intergalactic action wrapped and over. It was important for more than just Optimus Prime himself to get a last tale and that hope is fulfilled. Arcee, Jazz, Aileron, Rum-Maj, and more I won't mention (just in case you haven't caught up to the end of Unicron) at least get a little something this time out and even if a bit short in some cases, these mini-endings all feel appropriate and help take the characters further if not entirely full circle.
Got to the last issue after all, sort of.
There are flashback scenes dispersed throughout, and the first few of them pay respect to characters wiped out in other Transformers comic series in a fun way that unfortunately did not continue to the end of the book, but this was necessary to carry the issue's story along. It's another way that writer John Barber ensures more characters are around if you need one last goodbye, adding to the emotional weight that ebbs and flows during the course of this installment.
Entire mini-series of Buzzsaw: Planeteer? Sold.
Somewhat similar to horrible tearjerker/fantastic comic book "The Life of Sideswipe", a sense of melancholy carries from page to page, and while it isn't all depressing or mournful something in the tone of the writing shoots pangs of regret. I can't say that there's regret here for certain, but if there is, good luck figuring out if it's about the series ending, where it ended up, or maybe even how the grand experiment of the shared Hasbro Universe followed course. Either way it's another layer to the depth of the book, which some will find more hopeful than wistful even though that doesn't match the mood I received.
A quick, special note is in order to one scene in particular featuring Aileron, Jetfire, Sunstreaker, Bob, and more of a spacefaring team aboard an Autobot shuttle as it travels the unknown and makes a discovery. Well, at least I think it did, and it was a superbly fun touch.
Go back to the Shadow
Kei Zama and Josh Burcham finish up this series by handling all the lineart and color work for Optimus Prime #25 and deliver all the striking lines, thick borders, and retro-cool lighting that defines the look of this series. A particularly amazing panel of Ravage (from a flashback scene, sorry!) is shown above that provides a sharp contrast and rich shadows that help tell the story within the story. Tom B. Long's letters further enhance the work, providing emphasis in just the right places to help some scenes comfort while others turn sinister. David Mariotte ensures a coherent package is delivered even with the flashback-to-present-and-back-again hopping and regular shifts in character focus.
This review's newspost thumbnail shows Casey Coller's B Cover for the issue, which I felt was most indicative of the kind of story within. Zama and Burcham (after Simonson) deliver a beautiful cast piece on Cover A, with just about everyone from the Optimus Prime series accounted for. Robots in Disguise helmsman Andrew Griffith takes us back to 2012 on a retailer incentive cover that I hope does not immediately sell out everywhere and quadruple in value like Alex Milne's Lost Light #25 RI cover did. You can find images of all of those covers and full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Optimus Prime #25, but please note it contains a character appearance list which may accidentally deliver spoilers.
This was a book with a heavy burden, but as a final epilogue after the climactic battles it still makes it to Cybertron without jettisoning Insecticons worth of weight in the process. A healthy dose of character endings, playful dialogue that snatches the Furmanism away from the jaws of finality, and a ready-built setup for the future help too, even if it won't be realized.
Optimus Prime's epilogue is a very good epilogue because it's exactly that and doesn't try to be something beyond its purpose. Even the well worn trope of the final villain being back for one last go doesn't show up, a pleasant surprise given how easy a setting like Infraspace could have been for such a moment. Enjoy this while you can since we've got a few quiet months ahead of us in the world of Transformers comics, but that's well earned after 13 years of amazing stories.
Once more, to all the creative forces at IDW Publishing that have made this happen since 2005, thank you!
I Need a Hero (to Save Me Now) A Seibertron.com semi-spoilerish review of IDW Tranformers: Unicron #6
EARTH WAR! With Unicron's ultimate goal revealed, the shaky alliance of Autobots and Decepticons is all that stands between Earth and the planet-eater. Heroes will rise-and fall-as Optimus Prime journeys into the dark heart of Unicron for the final confrontation with evil. At stake: the soul of a universe.
I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losin' my faith today
Fallin' off the edge today
And so the story ends. The finale comes, and the universe shakes, rocks, rattles, and rolls. But the question is, did the conclusion finally bring the show to justice?
Well, let's discuss this shall we?
I am just a man
Not superhuman
For starters, let's talk about our main cast. Aileron is here, and she does her part, but there is nothing really spectacular. Arcee is her typical badass self, but really doesn't need to do much to be a part of the action. She's there, and she does what she does best. Windblade and Bumblebee are also sort of just here, not really doing too much to the overall story despite previous prominence. Which is OK, all of the named characters have had some moments to shine, so their lack of doing much is forgivable.
Especially when you consider our big 3: Soundwave, Starscream, and Optimus Prime. To me, this story finally got Starscream back in line with what Till All Are One had set him up to be, and finally seems to shake loose from the later Barber runs and revert back to what IDW appears to have wanted him to be, and that is a good thing. He and his seekers got some really nice moments together and individually, so I appreciate this. Soundwave continues to pull the heart apart, and I love his part in the conclusion of this story, very well done. And Optimus is not quite Optimus. His retraction of the faceplate and the fact that he never wears it again after he gets ready to go to orbit to fight Unicron is very telling, as is the (near) conclusion of his storyline. He is Orion once more, the masks, as he puts it, are gone. He is who is he is, and he helps smooth a few of his bumpy points.
It's just another war
Just another family torn
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
We also had some other nice character moments, from all corners of the Transformers and the Hasbro Universe in general. Action Man gets in a good shot, the seekers are great, the Dinobots do a nice part, the return of a fan favorite character by Mount Rushmore was awesome to see, Prowl, Stardrive, and Rhinox with their moments of light, and even some Sharkticons and Junkions. The wind down pages in particular, with several important character interactions, was done very nicely as well, a good bookend to the series.
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
We're in the fight of our lives
And we're not ready to die
But for every good moment we had, there seemed to be a dim bulb preventing the light from fully shining. Slide is without a doubt the worst part of the book, and the worst part of IDW's Optimus Prime run if I'm honest. She ended up as such an unlikable character that I feel didn't deserve the storyline she ended up getting. The continued random cameos of Maximals that don't really do anything and don't really get any development besides Rhinox in any way was disappointing. Unicron himself and how he relates to his creator, and indeed his creator in general were lacking. The way Bludgeon, Monstructor, and the Dinobots resolved felt like a bit of a mess.
But most importantly, several moments in the book that were supposed to be huge just didn't ring. They sort of thudded. Starscream, the Maximal's victims, and Unicron's creator fall heavy in this category. They needed some more oomph. And the climatic finale itself needed some extra bits in the final resolution, as I feel the true climatic moment was with Soundwave, not with Unicron or Orion.
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I've got a hero (I've got a hero)
Livin' in me
Art duties were very heavily scattered with this book, bringing in artists from almost all the main IDW ongoings over the past few years, including Alex Milne, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Kei Zama, and Andrew Griffith. While there were noticeable shifts between most of the artist changes, with Zama using her more monstrous features, Milne his pointy-ness and detailings, and Griffith's and Pitre-Durocher's smoother and less complicated look, there was never a feeling of real disconnect, thanks to the efforts of David Garcia Cruz and Joana Lafuente. While they did give some coloring liberties to pages with certain artists, calling back to said artist's previous books and color stylings, such as Zama's pages having a more dark, metal look while Pitre-Durocher's was more clean, smooth, and bright, They did a pretty good job of keeping the look and feel of the book consistent while still giving each artist that special spice of uniqueness. Tom B. Long also continues his work of letting the art be enjoyed to its fullest extent while giving us the important dialogue needed for the story.
A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me just in time
So in conclusion, this story fell somewhere in the middle ground. The story wasn't particularly bad overall, but it certainly felt like it lacked the excitement factor, the big push, that big wow moment that it really needed to be spectacular. The characters in the book and their screen time were handled pretty well, we just needed some characters to shine more in their moments (Starscream) and others who really needed to be given fewer pages and didn't feel like they got more than they deserved (Slide). Soundwave for me was the shining point of the book, which says a lot seeing as what role others played in the grand scheme of things. We also needed more of that expanded universe, the little shots were nice, but I feel we could have used a bit more of the Hasbro Universe itself, especially seeing as how ROM has played such a small role in this issue considering he started out the book as one of the seemingly more important characters.
But most importantly, we got a new take on Unicron, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. The destruction he caused and the look were impressive, but what he ended up being was a bit disappointing. I feel like we could have gotten a lot more from this badass villain who was the end. I feel like the moments inside him would have done very well for a personality of his own to shine through, but we did not get that. And considering how big of a deal he was, I wish we could have gotten a bit more from him.
And the series itself feels like that overall. It had potential, but for some reason, the big moments just never got quite the flare they needed. It needed something more, a bit more life to it, and maybe a bit less of the Main Cast and a bit more of the small moments, like Blurr's moment, but for others. It also needed a bit more of Unicron, and maybe a bit better executed finale. But overall, again not bad, just not quite up where I wish this book could overall have been.
1/2 out of
This final Review of Unicron #6 features the Skillet song Hero, a personal favorite of mine, and the fitting end to this book.
As I tried but ended up not being able to work it into a single issue review, I decided to make my personal favorite song of all time the theme song for the series itself, and I feel this song in a way encapsulates how several characters felt in the series, never giving up in spite of overwhelming odds, and keep their faith. The theme song for the Unicron series is: Feel Invincible, also by Skillet. As it is the theme, I have also linked the video below for listening without leaving this page:
Monster A Seibertron.com Somewhat Spoilerish Review of Unicron #3
Synopsis
Unicron approaches Cybertron, so Windblade enacts a desperate plan-one neither Optimus Prime nor Starscream agree with! Has Windblade outmaneuvered Shockwave's machinations-or played right into his deadly hand?
The secret side of me
I never let you see
Story
Back again are we? Well, here we are, halfway through the epic Unicron finale, the giant be-all-end-all story for IDW, the culmination of 13 years of stories. So where do we sit halfway through the 6 part finale, minus a free comic book day intro?
I feel the rage
And I just can't hold it
Well, we don't actually sit too far away from where we were last time. The thing about this issue is that, objectively and character-wise, it was good. But pacing wise, I feel like it slowed down some, a bit too much. Now that's not to say the comic is bad by any means, because it isn't, but I feel like it should have moved just a smidge faster.
Pacing wise set aside, let's take a look at what else the comic had to offer. Probably my favorite part of the book was the core character moments. Characters like Bumblebee and Aileron shined together, with Soundwave providing a subtle but meaningful voice in his moments of time. But Starscream once again continues to steal the spotlight, and between last issue and this issue, we truly see his Till All Are One redemption story and his past self truly merge to create a genuinely great and enjoyable Starscream.
Why won't somebody come and save me from this?
Make it end!
The other characters included and the overall action in orbit are also present and they did their part, albeit maybe just a teensy bit too briefly. I understand that this is a dense book and it's basically the big climax of 13 years, but I still think an extra few panels could have made the battle in orbit a bit more memorable. Victorion and the torchbearers themselves stood out, while Elita-1 sort of fizzled out. In a way, Windblade was also sort of just there, as I felt her role really was just telling everyone how terrible they really were over all those years and how this is the final true end result. That said, her and Arcee did work well together, and she served as s a good bounce back for many of Arcee's good character moments.
There's no escape for me
It wants my soul,
It wants my heart
And meanwhile, Unicron is there, not really doing anything the whole issue except being huge and intimidating, with one brief 1986 callback moment, albeit not the one I would have hoped for. He felt like background in the issue, like the threat is right there, but it really doesn't do anything until page 19. But despite this, it's not like he just spoke to the assembled living beings; no, he remains mute save for his 2 words repeated only once from their initial quote, and honestly, in this case, I think this is all Unicron really needs to be at this point. His presence is enough to satisfy his appearance in the book... at least for now.
Art
Art for this issue once more continues with Alex Milne leading the lining charge, Sebastian Cheng on colors (with David Garcia Cruz this issue too), and Tom B. Long heading up the lettering. The issue was certainly another tough task to conquer, but once again we have some great art and great visual moments. The combination of yet more intense space battle and cluttered city views could be enough to bury some artistic teams, but this one keeps on chugging away.
The visuals are stunning, and it is amazing how, despite the constant shifts from glowing bright light to darkened areas, the action still stands out, the lines are still pronounced, everything still works. It is magnificent.
Also, the shading on the characters works incredibly well. It still amazes me when Milne can make someone with one eye and no face, a faceplate and eyes, or even a faceplate with just a visor still emote as though they had a full normal human like face.
I hate what I've become
The nightmare's just begun
Final Thoughts
This issue felt a bit like it was spinning its wheels in some areas and house cleaning in others, but still delivered on characters and intimidation. I would be doing the book a disgrace if I said it was bad or even mediocre, simply on the weight of the characters and the visuals. But I also feel we are at that point where things should be picking up, and they aren't fully up to my standards quite yet. This appears to be a pattern with recent books, where the first issue comes out swinging, the next 2 are sort of there, advancing the plot and characters but not accomplishing a whole lot, before we get the full on charge to the finish. Now I don't mind that, especially as someone who primarily buys the Trades, but I wish we could have just a bit more in those early-mid issues.
I'm gonna lose control
Here's something radical
I must confess that I feel like a monster
That said, if that last page didn't give you a least a bit of a chill, get out here. In the same way the last part of issue 2 hyped me up, issue 3 did the same. Now I'm hoping it can deliver a little bit more than issue 3 did following issue 2's last pages.
. out of
For all the covers part of this issue, take a look at the Vector Sigma Comics Database entry here. And of course, seeing as how we are in a Unicron review, I give you the spotlight/title song for this issue (A tough one to pick I might add): Monster by Skillet.
Falling Inside The Black A Seibertron.com somewhat Spoilerish Review of IDW Transformers: Unicorn Issue #1
Synopsis
Bumblebee investigates a dark corner of Cybertron’s past, searching for answers: what is Unicron, and why does it want to destroy Cybertron? Meanwhile, Windblade scrambles to figure out a plan as Chromia makes her return—with a Decepticon fleet in pursuit!
Tonight I'm so Alone, This Sorrow takes a hold
Story
And here we are again, on issue 2 of 6 of the grand IDW finale. Unicron is here. Unicron has killed planets and fan favorites. Unicron is unstoppable and unquestionably powerful.
Does part 2 of the tale live up to the hype? Just wait and see!
Your Touch used to be so kind, Your Touch used to give me Life
So to catch up, Issue 0 was the first attack by Unicron, and in a way Issue 1 was a longer version of 0 with some more material and more action and attack and Maximals. So issue 2 was the fallout, the scene of defeat, the realization that Unicron had no weakness and burns full bore for Cybertron now. And the way the different characters were placed in that context was quite enjoyable to read.
We get some good ole fashioned Starscream, to an extent. We get some optimistic Bumblebee, paired with the used to be equally as optimistic but still very eager to at least do something Aileron, and then Optimus, more Starscream, and the council. Old plotlines and characterizations continue, even older plotlines and characters make returns, and it all blends together quite well. We got some history, we got some resolutions, and we got more questions to be asked. And we got a killer final 2 pages.
Don't leave me alone, Cause I barely see at all
Story wise, Starscream is a standout here. Also important is Bludgeon, and his attack on Unicron and position in the grand scheme of things. At this point, Bludgeon is a con to keep an eye on, like really, go back and read all his adventures post Death of Optimus Prime, and then finish with this one.
Falling in the Black, Slipping through the Cracks
Finally, as a nod to the Hasbro Universe itself, we get 3 different stories worth of appearances and 2 different creation/backstories, with the 3rd actually being a back up comic featuring a well known Maximal and the final stand of Scarlett's Strike Force.
Is it a filler issue? Yes, it is. It is the lull between storms. Is it a boring or not overly good filler? Absolutely not. It gives us so much, it still gives action, it still has the characters, it still has all the moments, and it has the perfect build up and a great lead in to the next. It is serialized, but it does not suffer all that badly for it.
And in case you forgot, Skywarp is equally as fun as Starscream. Now all we needed was a Thundercracker appearance and we would have had seeker gold.
Dreaming of the Way it used to be, Can you hear me?
Art
Simply put, the marriage of artist and colorist for this series could not have been any more perfect. And this is not just me, this is the Seibertron.com review room talking here folks. You cannot beat the lines of Milne fused with the colors of Cheng. You can't, it's that simple.
Falling to the Depths can I ever go back?
The vast backgrounds and equally vast cast, the uniqueness of each Cybertronian's design, the fun of space and the grounds of Cybertron, it all looks and feels so good. And it owes everything to Milne and Cheng. They have done fantastic for all 3 Unicron titles released so far, and there is no indication that we should expect less in the remaining 4. And if the last page is anything to go by, epic will still fail to describe the coming events.
And a final nod to the important final part of the art team: Tom B. Long. Letters are so easy to overlook, but in this issue, between Bludgeon, Omega Supreme, and the rest of the cast, the letters get a chance to shine, and it is fantastic at how many different ways you can create a conversation.
Well done crew!
Final Thoughts
Falling Inside, Falling Inside.... The Black
As you can tell, this issue was mainly character driven, by interactions between characters fresh back for their final appearances. It has some action, some backstory, some main story, and bit of final payoffs. It was a good story with excellent art, and a great lead in that managed to not bore the audience nor make them think anything less than a good story is ahead.
With that all in mind, despite what we learned here, next issue cannot come soon enough. We have reached what appears to be the big moment fairly early in the story. While it may not be the climax of the story itself, it still will be big and fun, especially with characters by Barber and art by Milne, Cheng, and Long.
Have a score, and let's get on to that issue 3 folks.
:MAXIMAL: out of
And finally, as with all Unicron reviews, we feature a Skillet song as the theme for this review, and ultimately for things to come.
Synopsis
“The Falling,” Part 6. Bumblebee and Optimus Prime make a last, desperate bid to return to the real world as Shockwave teams up with the Autobots! Can Optimus stop what’s coming, or has he played right into the hands of the ultimate destroyer?
sup
Story
And lo! we reach the end of this penultimate narrative arc of the ongoing Optimus Prime series, and.. it gets weird? It definitely does things, and quite a few, but it also feels like it's trying to do more things than it wanted to do - to varying degrees of success - and The Falling just sort of hobbled and stumbled a bit there. Let's see...
thanks, Bee
If you've followed the Seibertron.com reviews of several of John Barber's work, you'll have noticed that one element keeps coming up when we reach the climax of his stories - two, actually: first, the climax is always magnificent and much earlier than the denouement; second, the latter, the endings, can have a tendency to not land entirely satisfactorily, to be generous in my wording.
...yeah..
If the script wanted to play more on Shockwave's evolution in time - plenty of it - it did so with probably too many tropes and clichés, reminding me too much of the Galvatron resolution in Combiner Wars, and an over the top, super evil villain element to an otherwise nuanced take on the senator's story, and his influence on titular character Optimus.
this guy, yknow
That said, there are still some very good individual character moments and scenes, mostly featuring Arcee and Aileron, Pyra Magna and her reluctant partnership with Optimus, and Bumblebee's presence as an almost outsider to the entire story - plus, some very nice callbacks to very early storylines seeded in the very first Shockwave story, and everything since, in true Barber continuity style. And final bang for the universe to go out on, for which a clue may or may not be in the cover...
Art
We have previously seen how Kei Zama and Sara Pitre Durocher can work really quite well together in the same book, even with theyir recognisably own style - and there are some very much both moments, spotlighting strengths from each of the two artists - but adding the third, very distinct style of Livio Ramondelli to the mix might not have worked that well. It does. Oh if it does: giving him the infraspace sections allows his style to be justified by the narrative itself, and the end result - of all three - is nothing short of masterful.
Arcee is the still the best
Josh Burcham is doing nothing short of a miracle, bringing a cohesion to three very distinct visual styles that would not have otherwise worked at all - and even with what may be Ramondelli's colours on his own lineart (has always been so, I wouldn't expect that to change), the final effect we get out of the three is truly a sight to behold, and probably the redeeming element of the whole book this time round.
I MEAN JUST LOOK
With the script being so baffling at times, in terms of its narrative linearity, I was a little thrown off at one specific instance of balloon placing in the very first pages, that threw me off entirely for a whole two days, until my third read. The rest of the lettering was Tom B Long's regular top shape, but I felt like my disappointed feelings just tainted a lot about this book.
As for covers, the Aileron / Arcee cover by Zama and Burcham is splendid, though without the colours it can be a little harder to decipher, though the spotlight still goes to the Pyra Magna-centric Casey Coller and JP Bove silhouette variant, the last in this gorgeous series (see thumbnail). Check them all out in full size in our database!
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
If the previous couple of issues was starting to feel as if the story was dragging on, this issue put a stop to that, and one that was a little too abrupt and perhaps undeserved - in its convoluted path to the end point, at least - to make up for the jarring feeling that came out of the close proximity of these last two issues. The story is tepid at best, thought there is nothing inherently wrong about it, but his landing not sticking well, even with that one scene with its wholesome, touching moment, and its lead into the Unicron happenings, just soured the whole experience for me.
oh, Starscream is in here too, yeah
There is some really good art present in this book, though, with some exquisite colours in the Ramondelli sections, and some poignant moments kept well balanced even with three separate sets of hands being worked on by a fourth, and some of the scenes alone are worth the scope of the book - but still not always enough to supersede the disappointment of a tepid resolution. I do want to see how this all ends, of course, but I'm less inclined to fully appreciate the Unicron story now that these cards are sliding off the table.
. ½ out of
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