Going Backwards - Stormbringer #2

Hello again readers! Ive had some barriers on my internet access so there might be a slight drop in the frequency of posts. However, I will try to give you as much reading material as possible. Here's the full, in-depth review for Transformers: Stormbringer #2...

TRANSFORMERS: STORMBRINGER #2

Written by SIMON FURMAN

Art by DON FIGUEROA

Colors by JOSH BURCHAM

Covers by Figueroa

SYNOPSIS: On Cybertron, Bludgeon proceeds with his plan to remotely nudge Thunderwing's reanimated corpse into attacking and devastating other worlds. Why? Because he feels his fellow Transformers have used and abandoned theirs. Three of the Technobots and Jetfire have been captured and are being lasered apart for components and materials, with the disappearance of their science vessel just now being noticed by Autobot command. Optimus Prime recalls the Wreckers, a specialist strike force, and plans to meet them at Cybertron to investigate the possible reappearance of Thunderwing. He's tormented by the memory of previous events. Elsewhere, the remaining two Technobots survived the destruction of their shuttle but are caught in a weakened state by Centurion drones. On Nebulos, the resident Decepticon infiltration unit witnesses the arrival of Thunderwing!

THE ART: Once again, Don Figueroa shows us just how good he is. His finely executed lines perfectly convey the action and adapt to the mood; from the spiky, organic landscapes of Nebulos to the clean, sterile halls of Autobot Orbital Command, all are beautifully rendered in every detail. Don truly is the master. His Kirby-esque clouds and smoke and awesomely spiky energy is just plain, purely awesome. Now I know why Don has been hailed as the only choice for an ongoing series. And once again Josh Burcham perfectly renders and enhances Don's already top notch artwork. Is is possible that Don and Josh have upped their game since last issue? Impossible, you would say. But Burcham really completes this issue. His colors can make even the most simplistic artwork look like something made a god. And what I still can't believe is that Don did two wraparound covers for this issue! The man is a legend! I could not be more happy with this issue. Exquisite in every detail.

THE STORY: Simon Furman continues to impress us with his quality writing skills. The Marvel-esque dialogue is smooth and realistic, conveying Jetfire's deep broody thoughts. A tad predictable for my taste but still very well done. A cool use of repetition at the start and end (Optimus' reflection on the first coming of Thunderwing). And not stopping at the Technobots, Furman continues to bring us cool, more obscure characters to fill out the cast. The Wreckers, Iguanus, Skullgrin, Finback, Bomb-Burst, Thrust and many more make it nice too read about some bots other than the Sunbow cast. And Dogfight (pictured left)! Awesome little cameo! And more onto the subject, the action is very well-paced and reads like a well-edited movie. Some nice little flashbacks provide further insight into Cybertron's history and the events that made it a barren husk. So while not as mind-bogglingly exquisite as the last issue, Furman continues to impress. So, the result:

ART RATING: 9 out of 10

STORY RATING: 8.5 out of 10

OVERALL RATING: 9 out of 10

ERRORS: The inside cover of issue #2, solicited for August 2006, shows the publish date of the issue as June 2006, one month before the last issue.

VERDICT: a highly satisfying issue that shows the great job Simon and Don always do. Nots as purely awesome as the last issue but awesome still. So a nice 9 out of 10. Next month: Optimus gets involved! And Thunderwing lays waste to Nebulos. Who will stop him?

Posted by Fanbot at 9:31 pm, THURSDAY 10 December