Full Preview for IDW Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers One-Shot

The change in artwork style worked quite well there, reminded me of the UK G1 comic stuff, and kup looked like his spotlight self. Good work, now who's going to die...

Such a pleasure to see Geoff Senior, my favourite G1 comic artist, get some interior work! He's the best!

It's setting up to be a great story, and I love that Kup is getting the nod off he properly deserved from Springer

Synopsis
Wreck & Rule! The final entry in the Wreckers trilogy! They've been beaten up, torn apart, betrayed, and had their sins revealed. The few remaining Wreckers are more lost and lonelier than they've ever been, which makes it the perfect time for them to come under fire from an anti-Cybertronian campaigner and an old foe! Remember them fondly, because this is the "Requiem of the Wreckers." Written and drawn by Nick Roche (Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers, Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows)!



Story
The one-shot that concludes a story that almost started the second phase of the IDW Publishing Transformers comics universe (yes, I know, it was still in the Costa era, let me embellish the narrative here), is here. As we discussed with the writer and main artist Nick Roche in a Twincast Podcast episode here, 'this is the last story of the Wreckers, and there’s not enough characters to give them all a happy ending' but ultimately 'Hopeful, and about letting go.'

If you are all ready to start letting go, then, join me for a review below and make sure to join in with your own thoughts later.



We start much later than we left off with Sins of the Wreckers, after the death of Kup in Transformers vs Visionaries - and the story in the book is as much about Kup as it is about Springer, and Verity's connection to both of them and the Cybertronian world more in general, with Impactor's looming presence as they both head out to seek him for several reasons of closure and perhaps confrontation. The setting, of course, is not entirely ideal, given the events of both Revolution and First Strike (and the Ongoing, and All Hail Megatr-- you get it).



The writing, then, is dense. Very dense, as it is indeed delivering on the promise of tying up a lot of narrative threads that were left in the Wreckers saga, including Impactor, Mayhem and the aftermath of Sins, plus Springer's own personal 'quest' if you will. All of which includes revenging, avenging, venting, and some extremely spoilery interactions between characters that need to be enjoyed in the comfort of one's personal reading experience.



Parts of the story give us an idea of how close Roche had been working with the rest of the IDW creative team, as we get some developments from across the wider universe, but also potential repercussions on what we'll be seeing with the end of this narrative universe too, even just in potential. But as a story of coming to terms with loss, acceptance of change, and pursuit of truth(s), this is a solid addition to any comics reading reserve.


Art

Brendan Cahill does some amazing work on the central section of the book, with the roadtrip that Verity and Springer take, and his lines are clean and so very well modelled to Roche's style that - while the personal flairs are clear and obvious - there is no jarring difference between the two, and the action flows beautifully.

Having the original artist for Impactor and Springer, as Wreckers anyway, from the Marvel days - Geoff Senior - take part in the comic as the artist on the flashbacks was a brilliant move, and it is executed marvelously. I understand that the appeal here will be to followers of the Transformers universe rather than younger/newer readers, but let Roche have his fanboy moment too.



The two Joshes from the IDW stables, Perez and Burcham, both provide their skills and talents to that fluidity that the artistic team had set up in the tripartite delegation of linework duties (Cahill, Roche, Senior) - and to be entirely honest, they are so in sync that other than the obvious switches in style (Senior vs the other two) it is almost impossible to distinguish their masterful handiwork. For a book with these many layers, the visual cohesion can only be a bonus.



There are some truly excellent moments in the script that further sediment the tonal contrast (never really jarring, even with two characters' very distinct voices), and the lettering team of both Tom B. Long and Shawn Lee are able to bring it even further with some visual font gags or at least highlights, and spruce that dialogue just a little more.

In terms of visual work, I want to spend a word on the backmatter in the one-shot, mostly due to editorial and Nick Roche, with some of the preparation that went into the book for Senior to come into the contemporary comics (in style and tone, mostly) and for the general research and development going into the book. Do not skip it, seriously.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

As I said above, this is not a light book - much like Sins before it, and by Roche's own admission, there is a lot happening in not too much space, and self-editing is very hard. I commend David Mariotte for the impressive amount of work he undoubtedly put into this, but it's clear that Roche got as much space (and time) as he wanted, perhaps needed, to tell the final stories about these characters.



What has been achieved in the cutting is a hard-hitting, emotional, darkly humorous story and interweaving of stories within it - admittedly, stories that will only really land with readers who have been following these narratives since they started, there is no escaping any of that. That said in what Roche, with Senior, Cahill, Burcham, Perez, Long, Lee, and Mariotte, have had a hand in creating since 2009 and brought all the way to 2018, we got an imperfectly cut diamond, which refracts light at whim and when least expected, perhaps - but a gorgeous, unique one nonetheless.

Damn I feel like buying this just for the Senior art. Has always been my fave Transformers artist (even just comparing those pages I far prefer how Senior draws Springer's face than the other artists. Able to emote but still look robotic rather than weirdly fleshy faced). I have zero interest in the story (I didn't care for Last and I was absolutely bored by Sins) but ugh, I love that sharp distinctive artwork that inspired me on so many of my childhoods, particularly tbe bad ones where I needed a distraction. May buy it just to frame the Senior pages and put them on my wall for some awesome colourful TF poster art.

I've been reading the IDW comics since the beginning and this is by far the conclusion I've most been wanting to see.

Thanks Nick. Goodbye IDW Springer, Impactor and Verity, three of my most favourite characters from this saga.

That hug, especially from someone made entirely out of metal and sharp corners, looks so warm and comforting.

I am a tad befuddled by Springer's mission .

That is a cruel way to go, Overlord. effective, but man, I think thats worse than 100,000 burning Microchips and a fleshling telling you "Overlord who?"

megan Guiglioni. Sounds like Mega and Giga. Thats some dirty little trick, Roche. I approve.

I really liled Impactors redemption. IDW Impactor was always a bit... Dark, this felt a lot lile Marvel Impactor. Gritty but not imoral to the point of almost evil. Same with Prowl for the scant few pages he was in. He still got to be calculating, but there was still thoughtfulness behind his thought. I didnt like the cruelty IDW put into Prowl, and its one of tje few chsracters I will ne glad to see go with the reboot. And maybe Thats not fair; with the le el of realistic impact IDW is trying to achieve with its stories, and really all the publishers are, its probably better to have some Autobots that aren't Sunshine, Puppydogs and Rainbows, but thats just not a flavor of Prowl I want to preserve. The Wreckers are good for thst kind of storytelli g, since their character basises are so much less fleshed out compared to the fan favorite, preserved in the memories of Childhood G1 Characters.

Yay for PCC dudes. I thinl the Bulldozer is supposed to be Steamhammer or Buildmaster (Gravedigger?) And then we had Smolder in there too and I think a few others. I love that IDW isnt afraid to reach for a less popular character for an extra. So many Bots and Cons to choose from.

I read this online, but I cant wait to get my paper copy i ln the Wreckers Anthology. This was an awesome book and a grest way to cap things up for these characters. Thank you Nick Roche and IDW.

Great ending to the Wreckers saga, and I couldn't be happier with it. It was brilliant, fun, and it pulled some heart strings.

The hug was my favorite panel to see. Verity and Springer man, that is a pair that cannot be forgotten

If this "first ending" of sorts is any kind of sign for how the summer will go, then it looks like we're in good hands. Excellent book.

Aside from 0%, what are the chances Springer goes back and stops Shockwave? Or fails but his Spark persists in some other form? I figure none of this will happen but it's at least a little fun to speculate on it.

ScottyP wrote:If this "first ending" of sorts is any kind of sign for how the summer will go, then it looks like we're in good hands. Excellent book.

Aside from 0%, what are the chances Springer goes back and stops Shockwave? Or fails but his Spark persists in some other form? I figure none of this will happen but it's at least a little fun to speculate on it.

How long until we can drop the Spoiler tags?

how to stop the Cybertronian Civil War:
1) Go bsck in time
2) Whirl, just, knock him the scrap out.
3) Peace.

In trutj, there probably are a lot more intracacies to the causes of the War, and if it hadnt ben Whirl and Megatron in that prison cell, it wpulda been someone or something else. To ypur point, even without the impetus of Megatron, Shocky would probably have still gotten something close to Civil War in motion: after all, the unrest is already there.

Since this IS the end, I hope this is the last we see of Springer. Tossing him into the ending of OP or Unocron I thonk would cheapen the end of Requeim. But this couldve been a neat short series following Springer to revisit and highlight some of the society of Cybertron. Much of the important stuff has been covered in bits and pieces, but to have gotten a more dedicated 4 part focus coulda been fun too.

Scotty, where in continuity did this fit?

Targetmaster Kup wrote:Scotty, where in continuity did this fit?

Somewhere right after Kup dies in Visionaries but before OP 17, before Onyxwave shows up.

This story has actually led to something really special for me, other than being really good and enjoyable and showing Wreckers are one of, if not the, best thing IDW did in its run.

I collect the TPB's, ok. I don't go to the store the day of to get an issue. But in this case, I made an exception. So I went to 3 different stores, not one of them ordered Wreckers. I was sad. I tweeted about it that night, and Nick Roche himself retweeted it. Following that, I got contacted by several individuals offering me an issue!

But that wasn't the highlight. One of the people who responded to me tweet (none of whom I follow or who follow me) was Big Bang comics, who had tons of Nick Roche signed issues of Requiem! They told me they shipped internationally, gave me the info, and thanks to them I now have a signed issue of Requiem of the Wreckers headed my way! I am so stoked! Signed comic at last!!!

And then today, I was across the city, and found an issue in a larger comic store, the last one. I bought it as my reading issue, and the one coming from Big Bang shall be framed.



As for the story, I'm not sure if Springer will show up again, but I kind of hope he does. Overlord won't since half of him is far in the future and the other half probably disposed of somewhere in the past, but it would feel wrong for Springer to venture into the past and then not show up again in the present. Kup lived for 14 billion years in the Dead Universe, no reason Springer can't live through the war again, even if he isn't in it.

Flashwave wrote:

Targetmaster Kup wrote:Scotty, where in continuity did this fit?

Somewhere right after Kup dies in Visionaries but before OP 17, before Onyxwave shows up.

That can work. Right now I have it after The Falling, before Unicron 0. Since not all of The Falling is out, we'll see how that goes.

I like sticking it after the Shockwave stuff for another reason: TF vs Visionaries and most of OP 17-22 are doom and gloom. Unicron 0 is too. But this? RotW leaves Springer out there as a shimmer of hope in all the dark. (See what I did there? Sorry maybe!)

Ever wanted to read the entirety of the stories told about and for the Wreckers? Now's your chance, with the collected Transformers: Wreckers Saga TPB from IDW Publishing, for which we have the full preview below: featuring the opening pages of Last Stand of the Wreckers, the new cover we've seen already, and the book credits. Check it all out below!

Transformers: The Wreckers Saga
Nick Roche, James Roberts (w) • Nick Roche, Guido Guidi (a) • Nick Roche (c)
Three tales of the legendary Wreckers from creators Nick Roche and James Roberts are collected into this special edition! From the prison planet of Garrus-9 and a mysterious siege, to the lonely exploits of a kidnapped Prowl, Roche and Roberts, with artist Guido Guidi, reveal traitors, long-lost secrets, and all the hard-nosed action that made the Wreckers the legends they are.

Collects Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers, Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers, and The Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers one-shot.
TPB • FC • $29.99 • 300 pages • ISBN: 978-1-68405-221-9

Bullet points:
Advance solicited for July release!
Join the toughest crew of Autobots around on a trio of missions where they'll face seemingly insurmountable odds and things are guaranteed to end badly.

Hurrah! A preview of an old comic!

snavej wrote:Hurrah! A preview of an old comic!

You would prefer?

ZeroWolf wrote:

snavej wrote:Hurrah! A preview of an old comic!

You would prefer?

Maybe a comic about a wolf that is strangely attracted to zeroes?!

ZeroWolf wrote:

snavej wrote:Hurrah! A preview of an old comic!

You would prefer?

Bonus content peek?

Is there any bonus content? This takes the form of all the other previews so far.

@Snavej sorry to disappoint but I'm sadly not that skilled as an artist so you'll be waiting a fair while

ZeroWolf wrote:Is there any bonus content? This takes the form of all the other previews so far.

@Snavej sorry to disappoint but I'm sadly not that skilled as an artist so you'll be waiting a fair while

I think theres stiff I havent seen, aince I have to grab the issues from online (Comixology).

Can we talk about Nick / Josh's new print?

That I like.

I saved it to my phone, it's gorgeous. Of all the Verity's, I think Requiem's version was my favorite

Va'al wrote:Can we talk about Nick / Josh's new print?

That's friggin' beautiful!