The despicable Decepticon scientist Shockwave, has arrived on Earth after contact from Soundwave. Can the Autobots defeat him and his minions? The odds are definitely stacked against them. Meanwhile, on Cybertron, Elita One is still trying to get away from the Decepticons and save the life of the heroic Ultra Magnus, and her escape route may be taking her somewhere very familiar, and just in time too.

What else is there to say about this current run of Transformers that I haven’t already? As much as I adored the complex, long form storytelling of IDW’s multi-year, epic Transformers run (which ran across several comic titles simultaneously), there’s something to be said for a comic that goes back to basics and tells an action packed, lightning paced story featuring the Robots in Disguise.

Which is what we have here, with Daniel Warren Johnson’s script feeling like it has a keen sense of what made the original G1 (that’s the first generation of Transformers, for the uninitiated) series work, as well as having a very good sense of characterisation, and drawing from deeper, more obscure Transformers lore in order to build its cast of characters. It feels both nostalgic and modern, which is quite the trick; it’s also the absolute ideal for any reboot, really, playing to both longer term and newer fans at the same time.

Jorge Corona’s art is fantastic, with a very similar art style to Johnson himself; that is to say that it’s dynamic in its action, with massively crunchy and physical feeling action sequences, with tons of impressive detail.

It’s fantastic, overall, and even though the final panel may be a bit of a headscratcher for all but the oldest Transformers fans (and I count myself among them!), it’s great to see the cast expanding even further, with another underutilised Robot in Disguise.

Some shocking moments and heartbreaking losses keep the narrative utterly compelling, and I can’t wait to see the story continue.

Enjoyed what you’ve read? Want to support my blog? There’s no pressure of course, but every penny helps to keep this site running, as I earn no income from my writing here (though I may earn small fees from affiliate links posted on my pages).

However, I’d be truly grateful for any support that you could offer – and it’s easy to do so at either of these links: Ko-Fi.com/geekmid or PayPal.

Any donations are truly appreciated – and I also appreciate you taking the time to read my articles. Thank you so much!