Spike is dying – and the race is on to get him to a hospital.

Meanwhile, the Decepticons are not letting up – and they take advantage of the compassion of the Autobots with a full on attack on the humans.

Can the Autobots save their new, human friend and keep everyone else safe too? With Optimus having already lost an arm, things are certainly not looking good for the friendly Robots in Disguise.

Daniel Warren Johnson continues to prove why he’s the perfect choice to be at the helm of this new era of Transformers.

Though it hearkens back to the franchises very beginnings in some ways, it’s most definitely not just an exercise in exploiting the nostalgia of middle aged men (a demographic which I definitely fit into, all too snugly).

It’s got a much harder edge than the original cartoons, for one thing, with the Decepticons – mostly Starscream, in fairness, because isn’t it always him – engaging in some truly despicable and downright shocking behaviour.

The noble Autobots and squishy humans get their time to shine too, however; though there’s an awful lot of action gracing the pages of this issue, Johnson – both scripting and on art duties – certainly doesn’t skimp on giving us an insight into each character, sometimes within the confines of the explosive action sequences themselves.

For a fantastic example of that, take a very close look at this panel and the hilarious, easy-to-miss detail of what Autobot Cliffjumper is doing, given that he has no weapon.

When quieter moments do come, they’re brilliantly effective too, showcasing just how relatable the Autobots are – or how truly awful the Decepticons can be.

Though I was a huge fan of IDW’s densely layered, surprisingly political and character-led approach to Transformers, it certainly wasn’t something you could just dive into on a whim. It definitely rewarded long term readers with deep dives into Cybertronian politics and relationships to a truly impressive degree, but it was certainly at the expense of accessibility.

The same can’t be said of Johnson’s run on Transformers so far, which takes the Autobots and Decepticons back to basics, yet still offers plenty of new twists and turns to keep even the most knowledgeable and, perhaps, sceptical of Transformers fans engaged.

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