IDW Transformers: Windblade #4 (Dawn of the Autobots) Preview

I like how Chromia's "assessing the situation" sounds a lot like Arcee's line to Hot Rod during the siege of Autobot City in the G1 movie. Bonus points for it also technically taking place on Metroplex.

Synopsis
PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE! WINDBLADE seeks out the last refuge she has left, the living city METROPLEX as his malfunctions intensify! WINDBLADE realizes that even if she survives STARSCREAM, METROPLEX himself may doom them all!



Story

And so we've had explosions, more explosions, scheming, Predacons, bar scenes, torture scenes, world building, a fantabulous Starscream and so far, a plot that does not seem to want to resolve itself in any way that may have been indicated by writer Mairghread Scott up until this very moment - does it pay off? Is this final issue in Windblade's story, for now at least, a satisfying conclusion? Keep on reading...



Scott writes some magnificent Starscream narrative, alongside Windblade and Chromia's - the latter in particular, especially in this issue - and how the three key players interact on the grand scale stage of Metroplex, Iacon and Cybertron.. and maybe even further than that, as we find out more about Caminusand the Camiens, Metroplex himself, and some continuity-bending that would make Barber blush.



The plot throws us some bones, which turn out to be herrings, of the red kind, pointing in all the possible wrong directions before establishing and setting up the actual endpoint to the story started in issue 1 - which is not actually the end of the issue at all. Of course, the actual clues were there all along, and quite in plain sight, looking back.



I'm obviously not going to spoil the climax and denouement, but I do have to say that while the apex of the running plot itself was, in fact, almost anti-climactically played out, everything - everything - else happening around it is so astoundingly powerful that it more than made up for it! (So much so I just used an exclamation mark.) But more on that below.

Art

I'm not entirely sure what more I can say about Sarah Stone's artwork that I haven't commented upon in the first three reviews. But this issue does highlight what it is I really truly enjoyed in this début run for the new artist: her characters' expressions. We get anger, concentration, satisfaction, smugness, despair, hope - we get rounded personalities captured in linework, by way of faces, bodies and interactions.



All of that is before you even consider the excellent layouts and panelwork, with some truly experimental, slightly non-linear (dat final page), but not bordering into abstract just yet, pages, splashes and spreads. Then you get the colours. And the contrasts of light, of monochromatic blocks versus all-white or all-black backgrounds - something showed off on the cover, too.



Chris Mowry's lettering does some masterfully crafted complementary work to the already great artwork, rendering Scott's sounds and words vividly on the page and in characters' heads and voices, and beautifully fitting between Stone's lines, with fonts, hues, colours and fading effects alike. And just to keep us guessing, two Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr covers, one with Windblade, one with Chromia (see thumbnail).


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

A truly magnificent ending to what is clearly, obviously, just the beginning of a long long story to unfold in the Transformers universe, from MTMTE to Primacy to Empire of Stone to RID - where we'll see Windblade again not too far in the future - which, as I said, if it does tone down the plot resolution, it does so by amping up absolutely everything else, with a personal reaction that hit as far as Soundwave's arc in RID, or the C/R one in MTMTE.



Sometimes, as a comics reader, one should just revel in the pure aesthetic, sensory pleasure of a book as object, of the colours as feeling, of the story as layout, of the words as sounds. This comic has allows all of that, and sets up something so big it will make several people complain. But I, and I suspect many many more, do not care. At all.

Female transformer have lipstick on

So do I, and I'm not a Transformer.

"And so we've had explosions, more explosions, scheming, Predacons"

You mean Terrorcons?

Friday can't come quick enough for me, as tempting as it is to wait till next week when RID is out, I want to see this arc to its conclusion

Spazma wrote:"And so we've had explosions, more explosions, scheming, Predacons"

You mean Terrorcons?

Both! I forgot to drop that in, but Waspinator is a Predacon.

Nice review Va'al. Your breakdowns are always well done. I read the preview issue we got and came away somewhat dissatisfied with how the whole thing finished. But I am looking forward to more from this point... Like the next RID that they tease at the end.

I like the art but don't love it. Sometimes I felt a little lost as to who is who, or what is happening, but overall it is energetic and telling as you described.

A good series. An interesting new character. Looking forward to more.

Well all the comic shops in the city of portland sold out of issue 4 by 2 P.M today, wasn't able to get one :/

You know, I felt the issue kinda...fell flat. I was actually shocked by the reveal, which is a definite plus, how Windblade dealt with it was...nothing? I mean, Chromia basically betrayed Windblade and everything she stands for, and then Windblade just like shrugs it off and plays it like she is a parent telling a child not to tell a lie again.

However, I find that this is also one of my favorite TF stories to date. A nice miniseries that packs punch, doesn't drag on, and is stunning to look at.

You know, I felt the issue kinda...fell flat. I was actually shocked by the reveal, which is a definite plus, how Windblade dealt with it was...nothing? I mean, Chromia basically betrayed Windblade and everything she stands for, and then Windblade just like shrugs it off and plays it like she is a parent telling a child not to tell a lie again.

However, I find that this is also one of my favorite TF stories to date. A nice miniseries that packs punch, doesn't drag on, and is stunning to look at.

Well finally read the issue, the big reveal didn't have much impact I thought, and I imagined better motive. I do like the Starscream and Windblade relationship reversal at the end there. All in all I liked this miniseries, from the beautiful art to the characters themselves. I also loved the call out to beast wars Here's hoping to see Air Hammer get her chance to shine at IDW.

Okay, so, I've been reading the series again in order to see it hollistically. If anyone else has done so, does it seem as though Starscream knew who the culprit was the whole time?

Nemesis Maximo wrote:Okay, so, I've been reading the series again in order to see it hollistically. If anyone else has done so, does it seem as though Starscream knew who the culprit was the whole time?

I don't think he knew at all, but it's rather down to him being a very adaptable opportunist: he clearly thought it was Rattrap, even just for the throwaway line about it. Issue #3 shows his honest surprise, though whether it is at it not being Windblade trying to blow herself up or at something else, I do not know.

We've seen it with the Metrotitan, with the NAILS, in pretty much every iteration of the character- he's quick, he learns, he knows how to spin things his way, with varying degrees of success. And he probably sees how others can be like him, and only takes it as natural if that actually happens.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:You know, I felt the issue kinda...fell flat. I was actually shocked by the reveal, which is a definite plus, how Windblade dealt with it was...nothing? I mean, Chromia basically betrayed Windblade and everything she stands for, and then Windblade just like shrugs it off and plays it like she is a parent telling a child not to tell a lie again.

However, I find that this is also one of my favorite TF stories to date. A nice miniseries that packs punch, doesn't drag on, and is stunning to look at.

I think Windblade valued Chromia's friendship above all else and understood why her friend did it: to save their own home. But as a Speaker she had to make the decision to stand above her own desires and help all Cybertronians. Though that seems counterintuitive, I believe Windblade made the decision to spare Chromia because in her heart she felt her friend was doing what she did for the right reasons and it'll better for her if they both stand together in their brave new world.

Va'al wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:Okay, so, I've been reading the series again in order to see it hollistically. If anyone else has done so, does it seem as though Starscream knew who the culprit was the whole time?

I don't think he knew at all, but it's rather down to him being a very adaptable opportunist: he clearly thought it was Rattrap, even just for the throwaway line about it. Issue #3 shows his honest surprise, though whether it is at it not being Windblade trying to blow herself up or at something else, I do not know.

We've seen it with the Metrotitan, with the NAILS, in pretty much every iteration of the character- he's quick, he learns, he knows how to spin things his way, with varying degrees of success. And he probably sees how others can be like him, and only takes it as natural if that actually happens.

That's true, I now remember his line about how Ratrap should show more initiative. But to your point about his opportunism, I love how he has evolved from somewhat of a lunatic in most early fiction into what he is now. He may still want to take power whenever he can, but he does it in more intelligent ways than just (star)screaming "Decepticons! Let's betray Megatron and then get our asses kicked!"

Exactly! This series, even more than RID, has shown how effective Starscream actually is (even with Windblade at the end playing the game). And I am *very* curious to see what happens with Wheeljack's return in #34.

Tal El wrote:I think Windblade valued Chromia's friendship above all else and understood why her friend did it: to save their own home. But as a Speaker she had to make the decision to stand above her own desires and help all Cybertronians. Though that seems counterintuitive, I believe Windblade made the decision to spare Chromia because in her heart she felt her friend was doing what she did for the right reasons and it'll better for her if they both stand together in their brave new world.

I'm still expecting some sort of dealing with Chromia in the next installment of the story, either in RID or the next Windblade mini-series. In some way, at least! The issue left it a bit too hanging.

With Chromia, I'm not expecting too much in the way of resolution, it looked like she herself had a lot to think about. As such I think she'll be even more loyal the next time we see her. I'm more wondering about the colonies and their role in the future (like say elegant chaos and combiner wars).

Now as for screamer, this is the best version of him I think, it's been a while that we seen him like this. I only hope that he doesn't end up throwing all this development away in the near future by joining back up with the cons.

Well, Rhinox has been shown on one of the covers, and we have a toy for him.

I know Sarah is really happy to be working on TFP Knockout's design, which makes me think we'll see him too.

Knock-Out will be a fun addition, even better if he got to interact with the boyz from the lost light

With Rhinox, now I understand how controversial a choice it would be, what about if they took his character from Beast Machines (Tankor). Not everyone from the colonies is going to be good...unless thats how they add Gobots into the mix

We have some exiting news for Windblade fans, a new graphic novel is on the way. It will be a long wait until it comes out on Febuary, 18th, 2018 which is it's current release date. However, it is listed as having a whopping 220 pages!

Have a look about what the listing says about this book:

The original fan-made Transformer stars in her own series. She cuts straight to the truth and no obstacle is going to stand in her path.

Built by the fans, Windblade is a force for good, who never fails to do the right thing. But what happens when she’s forced to work with the Decepticon Starscream to recruit new colonies to the Council of Worlds?

If you are a fan of Windblade, check out this variant cover for TAAO #12 and if you are in Canada, her Titans Return Deluxe Figure is hitting shelves!

So it this something new, or a compilation of several preexisting issues?

Sabrblade wrote:So it this something new, or a compilation of several preexisting issues?

Given the description, my guess is that it might be a compilation of the two Windblade miniseries.

Bounti76 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:So it this something new, or a compilation of several preexisting issues?

Given the description, my guess is that it might be a compilation of the two Windblade miniseries.

That would be my guess also.

I really do enjoy the paperback volumes. They feel like they hold up a little better than the single issues. I'm one of those people that likes to read their books over and over again so having things that hold up well are a must. There is just something really great about having a paper book in my hands. Its worth the extra few bucks over digital imho.

(Not knocking digital, I love humble bundle!)

cool looks like her Combiner hunters look

Our main preview this week for IDW Publishing Transformers comics - as Optimus Prime #15 was shown here last week - is a collected volume that sees the previous Windblade series all in one place, including the initial four issues, and the seven issues of Windblade volume 2 - with art by Sarah Stone, Corin Howell, and Till All Are One regular Sara Pitre Durocher, along with Marcelo Fereira, Livio Ramondelli, and a whole host of colourists, letterers and inkers, all with writing by Mairghread Scott.

Take a dive back into the past, way before the Titans returned, Swindle disappeared, Starscream knew better, and Windblade realised who she actually was, and pick up the book in the coming weeks if so inclined!

Transformers Windblade: The Last City
Mairghread Scott (w) • Sarah Stone, Corin Howell, Sara Pitre-Durocher (a) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (c)
The original fan-made Transformer stars in her own series. She cuts straight to the truth and no obstacle is going to stand in her path. Windblade is a force for good, who never fails to do the right thing. But what happens when she's forced to work with Starscream to recruit new colonies to the Council of Worlds? Collects both the four-issue and seven-issue Windblade mini-series.
TPB • FC • $24.99 • 220 pages • ISBN: 978-1-68405-224-0

Bullet points:
· Advance solicited for February release!
· “This is not your average Transforming Robot comic book, this is so much more!”—Big Glasgow Comic Page

Damn I miss Sarah's artwork

I still consider this to be one of, if not the, most gorgeous pieces of Transformers artwork of all time.

My only familiarity with this character is in that silly transformers earth wars mobile game. I had no idea Windblade was a fan-created character though, kind of wicked.

Sarah Stone’s art looks fantastic, will pick this compilation up when it comes out.

I just finished the last city and I really enjoyed it. It's the first windblade book I have read so now I need to figure out what will come next. I'm probably going to wait until there is another volume out since I prefer those to individual comics.

Anyways it's time for bed. I want to read more but I should be asleep right now.