Though this issue of Transformers is much lighter on action than the previous issues, it’s pretty dense in terms of what’s going on.

Amidst numerous character introductions and moments where it feels like we’re getting extra layers added onto Transformers we thought we knew really well (who realised that Soundwave could be so ruthless? Certainly not me!), it feels like lots of things are being moved into position for another, potentially much bigger, showdown between the Autobots and Decepticons.

The fallout from the last showdown between the two sides is clearly still affecting our human characters, with Carly left pretty much alone, yet also determined to be part of the fight herself. There’s an interesting dynamic developing here, especially between Carly and Arcee, that is going to be very interesting as it progresses.

Between Daniel Warren Johnson’s writing, Jorge Corona’s art and Mike Spicer on colours, it feels like the Transformers are truly in safe hands.

Though the franchise has often done very well to expand and deepen its mythology in a really interesting way via the comic book medium over the last four decades, the latest series has done a great job of rebooting the saga, with a similar feel to the original G1 cartoons, but with a definite modern sensibility to its characters and tone. It’s also incredibly unpredictable, even for long term Transformers fans.

It’s a great comic, and it’s definitely one of the few monthly series that I’m happy to keep up with right now.