Cover for Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 2nd printing + Springer quote poster

Woot woot Last Stand of the Wreckers gets a second printing! Inevitable though...

Posted by Fanbot at 8:13 pm, TUESDAY 2 February

IDW Transformers solicits for Feb. 2010

The start of another month marks the time when BSC reminds you Transfans out there of what to expect for the coming month. Here's what IDW has to offer this February:


THE TRANSFORMERS #4

Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa, ANDREW WILDMAN

His ambivalence cost him his allegiance. His betrayal set the stage for Autobot victory. His name is Thundercracker, and this issue reveals what he's been doing these past three years after his brutal expulsion from the Deceptiocons in All Hail Megatron! Costa and Figueroa show you perhaps the most unique transformation of all...

32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS: LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #2

Written by NICK ROCHE and JAMES ROBERTS
Art by NICK ROCHE
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Roche, TREVOR HUTCHISON

The Autobots' finest begin their descent into hell, and all bets are off. The true nature of the Wreckers' mission is revealed and the reappearance of an old enemy drastically reduces the chances of anyone making it back alive.

32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #3

Written by ZANDER CANNON
Art by CHEE YANG ONG
Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN
Covers by Chee, GUIDO GUIDI

"Things Fall Apart," Part 3: After leaving a decoy for the Skywatch colonel, Bumblebee embarks on a solo quest to find the device that will free the Autobots. He befriends the child of the one man who holds the device they need, and finally has to ask himself if what he's doing is right.

32 pages, USD$3.99.


Fanbot highly recommends  Nick Roche's Last Stand of the Wreckers #2, as the art and story surpass anything else (including Mike Costa and Don Figueroa's ongoing) IDW has to offer. Expect to see these comics reviewed here at Big Small Comix very soon, so stay tuned!

Posted by Fanbot at 10:53 pm, MONDAY 1 February

Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 review

Sorry for the lateness on this one; been on holiday. But finally, here's the deal on Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1...

SYNOPSIS: Garrus-9 penitentiary, 3 years ago. The prison is being overrun by the Decepticons. Kick-Off smells an inside job, while Fortress Maximus handles the situation efficiently. Meanwhile, Skyquake and some other Cons witness Overlord’s arrival. Overlord tries to take control of the situation but Skyquake’s having none of it. Overlord blasts Skyquake in the back and proceeds to lead the Cons to victory, proclaiming he’ll liberate and entertain the Cons on Garrus-9. Fort Max is thrown to the Con hordes. Time jump to eight months ago. New Wreckers Pyro, Ironfist, Guzzle and Rotorstorm are scolded by a superior for blowing up a fuel depot. They’re picked up by Ultra Magnus’ ship, and greeted by none other than Verity Carlo of Earth. They’re dubious as to her being a Wrecker, but Springer walks in (with Twin Twist, Kup, Perceptor and Topspin) and informs them that none of them are, yet. The situation on Garrus-9 is explained; it’s been overrun by the Cons, but any attempt by other Cons to get in has been blown out of orbit. The new Wreckers are there to investigate. Springer explains to the new guys the dangers of Wreckership. Back on Garrus-9, Overlord and some Cons chase an Autobot for sport.

A purple Con subdues the Autobot, but his cockiness catches him off guard and the Autobot leaps at his throat. Overlord kills the Autobot and then the purple Con, explaining to the others that he was careless and so wasting Overlord’s time. Elsewhere, on Magnus’ ship, Ironfist feels hyperspace-sick. It’s revealed he was a journalist who wrote extensive datalogs on the Wreckers, under the alias Fisitron. Wreckers old and new talk, while Springer notices Ironfist may be hiding something. He seems burdened by the danger of Wreckership. Kup remarks that Springer can’t stop thinking about Impactor. Springer replies that it’s hard but not impossible. Time jump to one month ago. Con Borehole and now-crazy Autobot Kick-Off are in a pit fight. Kick-Off brutally beats and rips Borehole’s head off. Overlord is pleased and invites Kick-Off into his quarters for a reward. Back on Magnus’ ship, the Wreckers go to a Con ship that sent a distress signal, where is promptly blows up. But a shadowy figure approaches the ship, riding on the explosion. Everyone’s stunned to see that it is…

…IMPACTOR.

THE ART: Four words can sum up this issue perfectly well; NICK. ROCHE. JOSH. BURCHAM. A creative team made in Transfandom nirvana. Take a look at the interior images on this review and see for yourself the amazing job Roche does on this issue. Elegantly drawn bots, Kirby-esque smoke and explosions and simple backgrounds culminate into one beauty of a comic. The only downside to his artwork is the thick, clunky lines of assistant inker John Wycough; his inks detract from the art and look extremely unprofessional. But the gold medal definitely goes to colorist Josh Burcham. As you can see from the pages around, his coloring has no equal. The warm, vibrant palette enhances and complements the artwork perfectly, expertly rendering everything from the bloody-red sunset of Garrus-9 to the lurid magenta body fluid and explosions that splash across the pages. He also does a crafty subtle difference in coloring style between Garrus-9 and the rest of the scenes. Whereas the scenes with the Wreckers are clean and smooth, Garrus-9 has a gritty, pastel-like texture to the colors that emphasizes the chaotic, dirty mood on the prison planet.

THE STORY: Where do I start with this one? The plot is not what would have been expected from one such as Roche (and James Roberts). Interestingly, most of the issue consists of exposition - outlining what has happened on Garrus-9 in the past 3 years, introducing new characters and old, and only in the last few pages or so does the bombshell of Wrecker leader Impactor's appearance come. And what a bombshell that was. I'm sure that in Roche and Robert's interview at One Shall Stand.com, they said Impactor wouldn't be making an appearance. But this is a good thing! Roche fills out the story with a stellar cast of obscure characters from the UK and Europe - Pyro, Ironfist, Guzzle, Rotorstorm - as well as wild cards like Overlord from Masterforce and Kick-Off from the Action Masters toyline. This shows that Roche/Roberts can deliver quality characters without resorting to mainstream bots like Prime and Bumblebee. The story has good pace and the time jumps are smooth and not at all jarring. And no-one can write dialogue like Roche. The  quirky, idiosyncratic way the bots (and Verity - interesting choice to bring her back as a Wrecker) talk with each other; Pyro's calm and desire to sort out problems, Verity's brash cheeriness, Twin Twist and Topspin's ribbing each other. And Overlord's breaking away from the rest of the Decepticons is very interesting and will no doubt affect the rest of the series. Woo! So much coolness! Roche, Roberts, you rock! The results:

TRANSFORMERS: LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #1
Written by NICK ROCHE and JAMES ROBERTS
Script by NICK ROCHE
Art by NICK ROCHE
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Roche, TREVOR HUTCHISON

ART RATING: 8.5 out of 10
STORY RATING: 10 out of 10
OVERALL RATING: 9.5 out of 10

FAVE QUOTE: Pyro: "We'll be seeing you, sir."

Dipstick: "Hah! You think so? You're joining the Wreckers... what makes you think you're coming back?"[Pyro doesn't know what being a Wrecker means yet. Poor guy.]

VERDICT: Beautiful. Wonderful. An exquisitely executed issue on every front imaginable. I couldn't be more happier (well, OK. Roche could have inked the whole issue.). If you haven't yet got this issue then get off your computer and get it! Go now!

Posted by Fanbot at 12:39 pm, SATURDAY 30 January

Last Stand of the Wreckers banners

The trouser-shatteringly awesome TF artist Nick Roche has updated his blog with some banners of the hit series Last Stand of the Wreckers, done by some of his colleagues. Not really that important but they look cool so I thought I'd post them anyway.

BELOW: by Rycochet.
BELOW THAT: by Shaun Knowler.

ABOVE: by Kris Carter. Spot the trouser-shattering joke.

ABOVE THAT: by Matthew C. Adams.

Hope you enjoyed that. I know I'm stalling, yes. My review of Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 will be up very, very soon. See you then!

Posted by Fanbot at 11:57 am, SATURDAY 30 January

EXTRA! Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 images

Before I give you my review of Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1, I thought you'd like some images from the comic. Be warned, there are spoilers, so don't scroll down if you haven't got it yet. The spoiler-ey ones are at the bottom for your convenience.

ABOVE: Overlord and the 'Cons have some fun with an Autobot. Wingblazer thinks he's very cool (even though he ain't doing anything!).

ABOVE: Ironfist makes gestures with his enormous Roche-hands.

ABOVE: Kick-Off goes crazy on a Decepticon while Overlord gloats like a typical villain.

ABOVE: Springer explains the situation to new Wreckers (clockwise from left) Ironfist, Pyro, Rotorstorm, Guzzle and Verity.

ABOVE: Only geeks read Last Stand of the Wreckers for the robots.


Hope you enjoyed those images. Nick Roche and Josh Burcham are a creative team made in heaven. The review will be posted as soon as I'm finished. Go now!

Posted by Fanbot at 10:17 pm, FRIDAY 29 January

Transformers: Last Stand of the Weckers preview

It came! It finally came! The Stormbringer-esque miniseries by demi-gods Nick Roche and Josh Burcham! We find out what happened to the Transformers death row on Garrus-9 in the three years between AHM #12 and ongoing #1. Here you go!

TRANSFORMERS:LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #1 (IDW)
Written by NICK ROCHE
Art by NICK ROCHE
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Roche, TREVOR HUTCHISON

The AUTOBOT special ops crew, THE WRECKERS, are sent to investigate Garrus-9, a prison that fell to the DECEPTICONS three years ago with no communication in or out since. Who’s really behind the prison siege, and what dark secret awaits SPRINGER there? Writer/artist Nick Roche (Maximum Dinobots) does all the dirty work.

32 pages, USD$3.99.

Posted by Fanbot at 4:18 pm, TUESDAY 26 January

IDW Transformers solicits for April 2010

In another spur of goodwill, IDW has given out their solicits for April 2010. And it looks like this year is shaping up to be a year of new things for the Autobots; the return of E J Su, the return of the Spotlight. Here's the scoop for April:


THE TRANSFORMERS #6

Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa

It’s the AUTOBOTS versus the biggest foe they’ve faced since DEVASTATOR! But with OPTIMUS PRIME in captivity, do our heroes stand a chance? The action keeps coming courtesy of Mike Costa and Don Figueroa!

32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: PROWL

Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by E J SU
Covers by Su, NICK ROCHE

The end of the war between AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS had profound changes throughout the ranks, even for the coldly logical PROWL. Learn of his change of heart and its impact on his actions in the ongoing series.

32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS: LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #4

Written by NICK ROCHE & JAMES ROBERTS
Art by NICK ROCHE
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Roche, TREVOR HUTCHISON

The Wreckers have found Aequitas, and things have suddenly become a whole lot more complicated! As the Autobots' special ops team stands on the brink of dissolution as the fatalities mount, Perceptor realizes that drastic action is called for-but having come this far, who among his teammates is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice?


32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS: NEFARIOUS #2

Written by SIMON FURMAN
Art by CARLOS MAGNO
Colors by JOSH PEREZ
Covers by Magno, BRIAN ROOD

Layers within layers are revealed as the massive global conspiracy that is Project: Nefarious continues to unfold. OPTIMUS PRIME wants answers, and he's prepared to go to any lengths to get them. But how far is too far? And by committing his forces to stopping SOUNDWAVE, is Prime just playing right into The Initiative's hands?

32 pages, USD$3.99.


See you in April guys!

Posted by Fanbot at 10:59 am, THURSDAY 21 January

IDW Transformers solicits for Jan 2010

Sorry these are a bit late, but I reckoned that these might be wanted anyway. Enjoy.


THE TRANSFORMERS #3

Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa, ANDREW WILDMAN

HOT ROD’s desire to get off-planet leads to some desperate measures, OPTIMUS PRIME and Spike sit down for an unpleasant conversation, and a new arrival to the AUTOBOT camp comes at their most vulnerable time possible. Costa and Figueroa continue to make history, bringing the AUTOBOTS to their (almost) darkest hour.

32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #2

Written by ZANDER CANNON
Art by CHEE YANG ONG
Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN
Covers by Chee, GUIDO GUIDI

“Things Fall Apart,” Part 2: BUMBLEBEE’s human-allied Skywatch team tracks down their latest target: the AUTOBOT BLURR. With this forced betrayal, the team’s morale takes a deep plunge until BUMBLEBEE and WHEELJACK devise a dangerous mission to free them all from the kill-switches that compel them to obey Col. Horiuchi’s commands.

32 pages, USD$3.99.

TRANSFORMERS: LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #1

Written by NICK ROCHE
Art by  NICK ROCHE
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Roche, TREVOR HUTCHISON

The AUTOBOT special ops crew, THE WRECKERS, are sent to investigate Garrus-9, a prison that fell to the DECEPTICONS three years ago with no communication in or out since. Who’s really behind the prison siege, and what dark secret awaits SPRINGER there? Writer/artist Nick Roche (Maximum Dinobots) does all the dirty work.

32 pages, USD$3.99.

TRANSFORMERS: TALES OF THE FALLEN: ARCEE

Written by CHRIS MOWRY
Art by ALEX MILNE
Colors by JOSH PEREZ
Covers by Milne

Setting out in search of OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS, ARCEE is captured by the vicious THUNDERCRACKER. And what better punishment for this AUTOBOT warrior than being the catalyst for a new squad of DECEPTICONS? ARCEE must learn that a good leader conquers all, especially in war.

32 pages, USD$3.99.

Posted by Fanbot at 12:15 am, SATURDAY 16 January

Final cover for Last Stand of the Wreckers #1

It's finally here! The final, trouser-shatteringly awesome final for IDW's Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1. Here it is, in all its glory:

Posted by Fanbot at 12:21 pm, SATURDAY 2 January

IDW Transformers solicits for Mar. 2010

Comics Continuum has been updated with IDW's solicits for March 2010. And it looks like next year is shaping up to be a great year for the Transformers! The appearance of the Stunticons, Bumblebee saving a girl and the fate of Fortress Maximus and Garrus-9! Here:


THE TRANSFORMERS #5

Story by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa, ANDREW WILDMAN

Optimus Prime and Spike Witwicky have a chat that could define the future of AUTOBOT and human relations! But lest you think it's all talky-talk, back at Rodimus' camp something big happens, something very big. A game-changing event in IDW's TRANSFORMERS, with a Don Figueroa double-page spread that has to be seen to be believed!


TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #4

Story by ZANDER CANNON

Art by CHEE YANG ONG

Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN

Covers by Chee, GUIDO GUIDI

When Bumblebee has a change of heart and goes back to help a little girl whom he had used to discover her father's secrets, he finds himself pursued by the terrifying and unstoppable Skywarp! Bumblebee's big adventure as leader of the Autobots comes to an explosive and thrilling conclusion!


TRANSFORMERS: LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #3

Story by NICK ROCHE & JAMES ROBERTS
Art by NICK ROCHE
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Roche, TREVOR HUTCHISON

Trapped inside a maximum-security prison, surrounded by Decepticons, and outgunned at every turn, it's time for the newest Wreckers to earn their stripes. But as the horrors of Garrus-9 are laid bare and the fate of Fortress Maximus is revealed, Springer realizes his team has bitten off more than it can chew.


TRANSFORMERS: NEFARIOUS #1

Story by SIMON FURMAN
Art by CARLOS MAGNO
Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN
Covers by Magno, BRIAN ROOD

The sequel to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen starts here! What is The Initiative? More to the point, why doesn't the all-seeing Soundwave know anything about it? How did they come to reanimate/control Ravage? Soundwave must find the answers, and he'll destroy anything in his path to get them!

Posted by Fanbot at 3:42 pm, TUESDAY 22 December

Going Backwards - Stormbringer #4

And once again Fanbot comes to the end of another great miniseries. The last issue of Transformers: Stormbringer is about to be dissected. Here we go.

TRANSFORMERS: STORMBRINGER #4
Written by SIMON FURMAN
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Figueroa

SYNOPSIS: As Thunderwing speeds through hyperspace toward Cybertron, Optimus Prime and the Wreckers frantically prepare for his arrival. They're not the only ones; under Megatron's orders, the Predacons aboard the Decepticon warship Thanatos prepare to bombard Cybertron from orbit in order to destroy Thunderwing once and for all, though Razorclaw harbors reservations. As the Autobots engage Thunderwing, Razorclaw orders Divebomb to take a group of Decepticons and fight alongside the Wreckers.
Jetfire finally uncovers an item in Bludgeon's files; if Thunderwing is subjected to a massive assault, he will drain his supply of Ultra-Energon ever faster. Dogfight reprograms Bludgeon's remaining Centurion drones (of which there are many), adding to the combined Transformers' firepower. As the drones are destroyed, Razorclaw orders his Decepticons back as the firing threshold draws near. Optimus moves in, blasting Thunderwing until he runs out of energon and becomes still. Razorclaw cancels his warship's bombing run literally at the last second.
Returning to the Autobot command hub aboard Ark-27, Optimus receives a communique from Jetfire, who has uncovered further information in Bludgeon's files—a Decepticon plan involving a planet called Earth. Linking this info with the update he received from Prowl's unit, Prime orders a change of course.

THE ART: I shouldn't really have to say anything about this by now. Don continues his expert rendering of the Transformers, conveying action in perfect detail with interesting and slightly abstract panel layouts that are a delight. Kudos to him , with some honorable mentions going to the panel with Thunderwing transforming into his "ultra"mode and the sequence where Ops blasts the crap out of him - I really like this cos' Don uses blocks of black instead of lines to convey the stark explosion light glancing off Ops' body. Every detail of the Cybertronian landscape is expertly drawn, along with the billowing clouds of smoke and Thunderwing's ionising black lightning stuff. Once again the prolific Josh Burcham colors the issue up something awesome. His soft light in the flashback scenes is awesome to behold and everything looks beautiful. I cannot think of a better colorist in the whole of comics - including anything put out by the Big Two. Why can't IDW get him to color the ongoing? Maybe I should be thankful. After all, he's doind Last Stand of the Wreckers, so that's a bonus. And lastly, the sound effects done by Sulaco Studios are awesome! They convey the onomatopoeia perfectly, and the emphasised dialogue that spills out of the speech bubbles is cool. Pity that their tail skills need a lot of work. Those things are ugly.

THE STORY: Very good, Mr. Furman, very good indeed. I continue to be impressed with his writing cred. The action is fast-paced and well panned out, and he ties everything up very nicely while raisng a whole lot more questions (as Ops said in the G1 cartoon: "every answer led to a bigger question.") that intrigue the reader. They'll be investigated further in Escalation. Which I don't have. Dammit! But anyways, Furman has done a great job on this series and is truly an Eisner-worthy man. My only complaint, if I had to make one (this is both a good and bad thing), is that the Cons' nuclear firing threshold is aborted one nano-klik before detonation. Talk about drawing the suspense out! But funny nonetheless. So, issue #4's overall results:

ART RATING: 8.5 out of 10
STORY RATING: 8.5 out of 10
OVERALL RATING: 8.5 out of 10

FAVE QUOTE: Jetfire: "This so-called Ultra-Energon contains radically unstable elemental matter. The more Thunderwing draws upon its fissionable core, the greater the obverse catalytic reaction."
Optimus: "In plain language, please."
Jefire: "Right. Of course." [You and me both, Prime.]

VERDICT: Another great issue and an expertly done end to what I think has been a tremendous series. Bring on Last Stand of the Wreckers! Next month: the Spotlights! Rated 8.5 out of 10. Woohoo!!

Posted by Fanbot at 9:13 pm, FRIDAY 11 December

Last Stand of the Wreckers interview w. James Roberts & Nick Roche at OSH

The Transformers UK site One Shall Stand.com has been sent a beautiful gift from the publisher heavens; AN INTERVIEW WITH NICK ROCHE AND JAMES ROBERTS, CREATORS OF LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS!! This is just too awesome. Their interview delves deeply into the minds of the creators and hints at a significant body count. Here's the full interview (contains teasers but no spoilers) at this URL:

www.oneshallstand.com/articles/wreckers.html

There, go and chew on that my Transfans!  And, just because I'm generous, I've pasted below James Roberts' teaser on Last Stand of the Wreckers' plot:

OneShallStand: What can you tell us about the story[...]?

JR: Apart from the fact that it'll be one of those Transformers stories that defines the new century? Apart from confirming that it contains enough gloves-off, teeth-bared, spine-shattering robot violence to give even hardened TF fans palpitations? Apart from the hitherto unplumbed dramatic depths it, er, plumbs?
'Last Stand...' is firmly in the here-and-now, but it takes place far away form Earth and the mainstream TF storyline; and while it's absolutely rooted in the wider TF Universe, its remote, largely self-contained setting gives us a chance to do some unexpected things and hopefully pull the rug out from readers' feet now and then. Which is always good.

I think the story strikes a delicate balance between action and characterization, between widescreen set pieces and those intimate moments that maybe you don't get too often in the TF Universe. The prelude to the mission itself and certain 'catch-your-breath' sequences on G-9 lend themselves to quieter, dialogue-driven moments, and that gives us the opportunity to explore what it means to be a Wrecker. What sets them apart from their fellow Autobots? Why would somebody want to be join a glorified suicide squad? What happens once you've spent hundreds of years carrying out the kind of missions no-one else wants to touch? What does that do to you as a soldier - as a person?

We also had a chance to expand the Wrecker mythos - we've delved into their history a bit and gave them some sturdier roots. A proper backstory, with new characters and nemeses!

What I will say is that we've tried to push this story out in all directions. It's not just a then b then c then d; it's not a simple succession of events. There is mystery and intrigue and sustained delay. There are verbal asides and background details that become more significant as the series moves forward. I love it when seemingly innocuous comments or everyday events take on a new significance when considered in retrospect, and that's why we've aimed for in 'Last Stand...'. And besides, where's the fun in having everything laid out for you on a plate? Readers like to join the dots themselves. Guessing is good, and sometimes you can answer a question with another question - provided there's a pay-off at the end. And believe me, there's a hell of a pay off in issue 5.

You've gotta admit, that is pretty damn awesome. I just can't wait for this comic to start in January 2010. The rest of the interview basically says that James and Nick love working with each other and are a perfect team, that they're looking into what makes the Wreckers the Wreckers, they wanted to include Impactor (one-time Wreckers leader), and that the deaths will be significant to readers and have deep meaning. Looks to be a promising successor to Stormbringer. Here's that page by Roche and Burcham again:

Aaaand ... with that, Fanbot bids you farewell once more. See you soon!

Posted by Fanbot at 8:13 pm, THURSDAY 3 December