The final issue of the first story arc comes to an apex conclusion as the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out for the Ark and for supremacy in controlling energy reserves.
As we have seen in the past, Starscream and his stable have no hesitation in the decimation of anything deemed inferior, as evidenced by the deaths of many humans through the series.
We get the return of some fan favorites, such as Jazz to the fray, but the biggest threat comes in the titanic form of Devastator, whom fans young and old will recognize as a soulless wrecking machine.
It is not-so-rare to have feelings for fictional characters when written and drawn by creative and talented individuals. I have read comic books where it only reads like a story and I become aware of a lack of attentiveness to detail. Not to say those stories are bad, but they can feel very “on the surface” with no draw.
However, Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer succeed spectacularly in their injection of passionate storytelling, making readers care about the beloved Autobots and reviled Decepticons. Panels feel like wartime.
Sparkplug fighting with PTSD and attacking 50-foot tall robots. Ratchet missing a leg. Prime, crushed and beaten by a giant. The looks of despair and helplessness. The revulsion and hate towards their enemies.
Of course DWJ is a wrestling fan. Wrestlers make you cheer or hate them. DWJ has made Starscream into the uber-heel of Transformers. You want to see more in order to hate him for it.
So many nods to classic imagery. Prime laying prone and dying on a table surrounded by his soldiers. Panels with “You Know the Song” and comical wording such as “Aw Yeah!” in the background makes this reader smile.
An unexpected ultimate sacrifice is made by our good friend Sparkplug, but if you think he is KIA, you might want to think again.
The run six-issues have been nothing less than spectacular. I always compare any Transformers media to the original Marvel (both U.S. and U.K.) runs by Bod Budiansky and Simon Furman as they are my set bar. DWJ and Spicer have successfully notched themselves in a top spot right behind Furman, Budiansky, Senior, and others who began this journey back in 1984.
