This was a great read. It begins with what appears to be a taped recording from Optimus Prime and Marissa Fairborne, daughter of G.I. Joe’s Flint. Events from the initial assault unfold and sees the inclusion of the characters from Revolutionaries join the fray. From the perspective of Optimus, Arcee, Action Man, and others, we have a glimpse of another assault on Cybertron which had not been revealed before.
I enjoyed the banter between Optimus and Action Man. Arcee truly is the Wolverine of IDW. Stoic, mostly humorless, and often cynical. I’m glad Kup and his band of assorted Hasbro-brand characters get an issue.
My one beef, which at this point is repetitive, is this issue should have come out a month ago. The second-half of the impassioned plea from Prime and Fairborne continues on in the one-shot First Strike: Transformers. Problem, is Issue #6 of First Strike comes out this week. It reminds me of DC’s Final Crisis. The main story wrapped up, while the spin-off of Legion of Super-Heroes didn’t conclude until a month later.
It doesn’t hurt the story, but one has to remember this is no longer in chronological order. In First Strike, Prime is already on another mission.
The art really pops in the issue. The vibrant art of the characters are another masterpiece display from Guido Guidi and John Wycough. Colors by Thomas Deer gives the issue a classic, animated feel, which gives the book a bonus boost of fluid transitions and action.
