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

Tales of the Fallen: Ravage preview

The informative fansite TF Archive has been updated with a four page preview of the Transformers: Nefarious tie-in, Transformers: Tales of the Fallen: Ravage. Finally, the return of Alex Milne! he is so much better than Carlos Magno in every respect. And I love Ravage! Here's the preview:

TRANSFORMERS: TALES OF THE FALLEN: RAVAGE
Written by SIMON FURMAN
Art by ALEX MILNE
Colors by JOSH PEREZ
Covers by Milne

The momentous event that is Transformers: Nefarious kicks off with the sudden, shocking -- and silent -- reappearance of stealth agent Ravage. Thought destroyed in Revenge of the Fallen, Ravage is back. But who is pulling his strings, and what is his mysterious but crucial mission?

There you go. I probably will get this one, but Christmas has stretched my wallet thin so it ain't a certainty. If I do you'll get the review as soon as possible. See you then!

Posted by Fanbot at 9:24 pm, SATURDAY 19 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

Going Backwards - Stormbringer #3

Welcome back. Let's cut the slag and get straight into the revew, shall we? Here's Fanbot's scoop on Transformers: Stormbringer #3 ...

TRANSFORMERS: STORMBRINGER #3

Written by SIMON FURMAN

Art by DON FIGUEROA

Colors by JOSH BURCHAM

Color assist by GRUNGEWORX

Covers by Figueroa

SYNOPSIS: Thunderwing continues to devastate the surface of Nebulos, while on Cybertron, Bludgeon prepares to submit himself to thepolydermal grafting process. On the dead planet's surface, Nosecone and Afterburner are attacked by Centurion drones, but are rescued by the Wreckers, who have arrived with Optimus Prime. The Autobots breach Bludgeon's bunker and rapidly overcome his team-mates. Iguanus flees to the pressure vat chamber, seeking Bludgeon, only to discover a massive figure wielding a glowing sword.
Darkwing orders the Decepticon infiltration unit on Nebulos to attack Thunderwing, but the monstrous being eliminates over half the attacking Decepticons within seconds. After their own attacks prove ineffective, Darkwing and Dreadwind abandon Nebulos. They send a message to Razorclaw, who in turn contacts the High Command. After being briefed, Megatron authorizes Razorclaw to do what ever is necessary to stop Thunderwing, even if it means destroying Cybertron in the process.
The Wreckers breach the pressure vat chamber and discover a catatonic Bludgeon within his shell. Iguanus, dying from being cleft in two by Bludgeon's sword and Jetfire, who tells Prime to shut Bludgeon's control throne down. Jetfire gets to work on the data in Bludgeon's computers, but an orbital warning sounds—with Bludgeon's control system destroyed, Thunderwing is returning home...

THE ART: Heaven. It is terribly, awesomely, trouser-shatteringly beautiful. Don could not have done a more expert job with his lineart. I find myself completely blown away by the sheer ease with which Don seems to convey the story. He makes full use of some effective (albeit a bit different) panel angles as well as some carefully executed point-of-view shots. The action sequences on Nebulos where the resident 'Con infiltration team get themselves completely mashed by Thunderwing are beautiful to behold, and the sheer, blatant apocalyptical destruction on the first three pages is just plain fraggin' magnificent. Absolutely nothing wrong with this issue and if there's anyone who disagrees then comment and tell me why the hell you think that. And who could forget Josh Burcham. His always awesome colors completely beautify this issue, expertly rendering everything on the pages, from Bludgeon's growing shell to the  fiery explosions from Thunderwing. Great job.

THE STORY: Simon Furman continues to impress with his expert writing skills, the action well-paced and beautifully written. Bludgeon's dialogue at the start is awesome and I like Furman's new portrayal of him as one of those misguided zealots who ultimately has his homeworld's interests (if not perhaps its best) at the heart of his reign of chaos. Furman also continues his barrage of obscure characters, with Crankcase, Roadgrabber, Ruckus, Darkwing, Dreadwind and Thrust being added to the mix. Oh, and Predacon Razorclaw! So all in all Simon continues to do a great job on this awesome limited series. And so here's the overall results for this issue:

ART RATING: 9.5 out of 10

STORY RATING: 8.5 out of 10

OVERALL RATING: 9.5 out of 10

ERRORS: Iguanus has a different design for his face during his "death" scene.

FAVE QUOTE: Springer: Suppose there's no point in asking you to stay up here, out of the firing line."

Optimus Prime: "No." [Optimus doesn't do the whole "leader-behind-the-scenes" thing.]

VERDICT: Another greatly done issue from an expert creative team. The boys have once again proved that perfection can be achieved and surpassed. I love you Don, your drawings are so cool! Rated 9.5 out of 10. Next month: Thunderwing comes home, and the Predacons move in. But what for?

Posted by Fanbot at 1:06 pm, FRIDAY 11 December

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

Going Backwards - Stormbringer #1

TRANSFORMERS: STORMBRINGER #1
Written by SIMON FURMAN
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Figueroa

OK, my fellow Transfans! Welcome back to another one of the Fanbot's Going Backwards reviews, where we take a look back at some of the best Transformers comics from IDW. This week my offering is a review of Transformers: Stormbringer #1. Let's dive straight in and see "what lies beneath" (Dreamwave comic joke. Whether or not you get it may define your Transfandom):

SYNOPSIS: In flashback, a dark figure stands amidst roiling flames, as someone (later revealed as Optimus Prime) narrates. Shirting to the present, Jetfire and the Technobots are in orbit around Cybertron, where we learn that the planet has been uninhabitable and off-limits for around seven hundred stellar cycles. Discovering an Energon trace, they break protocol, activate shields and head down to check it out. Prime's flashback continues to describe Autobots and Decepticons united against the menace, interrupted by a priority signal from Prowl's detachment of Autobots on Earth. On Cybertron, Jetfire recounts the warnings by Thunderwing (a Decepticon scientist) that the planet was dying due to the stresses placed on it by the Transformers' civil war. Then the landing party is attacked by a group of Decepticons whilst the other two Technobots back on the shuttle are taken out by further attackers. They regain consciousness to the sight of Thunderwing's as-yet-unmoving body and the chanting group who are trying to resurrect him...

THE ART: Obviously Don Figueroa drew this before taking on his highly controversial movie-eqsue art style. And although in my newness to the Transfandom I have not seen his other work with Dreamwave, the art for this is just top notch. Expert use of lines that convey perfectly the pure grittiness and hardcore of Cybertron as a dead husk of a world. His storytelling has almost no equal -- the scenes with Bludgeon and co. in their light-warping armor, and the purely beautiful cover to the right. No matter his style, Don has the TFs absolutely down pat. Josh Burcham with his painted style sends the artwork to new heights of pleasure. His warm palette is great for the copious amounts of fire and brimstone (Revelation much?) and makes my purchase totallyworth it. But wait, there's more. Read on for the full scoop.

THE STORY: Ah, Simon Furman. The great one. of course, his overuse of cliches and the infamous, used-as-every-second-word Furmanisms annoy slightly, but make me smile and enjoy the issue even more. I am always happy with the complex and realistic (if sometimes a bit too Marvel with the fallibility factor) character. Jetfire is the brooding, quiet, and philosophical scientist he should be, the Technobots brilliant and wordy yet with some definite flair and fun that makes them more interesting.

A calculating, antisocial bunch of Autobot prodigies? Hello, that's what we have Perceptor for. Strafe (pictured above) with his reluctance and timidness is good to see. And the portrayal of Cybertron of a barren, lifeless husk of a planet caused by the millions of years of war is very cool and realistic. A sort of Cybertron equivalent of Watchmen, if you will. So all round the story is well-crafted and is a great portrayal of a more realistic Transformerverse -- Marvel Ultimates eat your heart out. So, results overall:

ART RATING: 9.5 out of 10

STORY RATING: 10 out of 10

OVERALL RATING: 10 out of 10

ERRORS: On the cover, Jetfire sports Autobot symbols from a fan-made font, one that erroneously gives the symbol three hashes on each side of the forehead instead of two. The placement of symbols is particularly bad in this issue, with the contours rarely conforming to the contours of the surface they're placed on. In fact, the symbols on Jetfire are so badly photoshopped in they actually erase some of Don Figueroa's pencilling near the edges of the symbols. In the flashback on page 7, Megatron's chest is missing the "squiggle" design seen in all the other flashbacks featuring him. On page 19, all three word balloons are attributed to Afterburner, though they read like they should be attributed to Afterburner, Nosecone, and then Afterburner again. This error was corrected when the issue was published in trade paperback.

VERDICT: A beautiful and expertly executed issue that demonstrates the cred of both Furman and Figueroa. Burcham adds his awesome palette to the mix as well. A solid 10 out of 10! Next month: THUNDERWING!!

Posted by Fanbot at 10:45 pm, WEDNESDAY 9 December

IDW Transformers solicits for Dec 2009

Welcome to December, and Christmas is just around the corner. To get into the Christmas spirit I've started doing the comics I promised my parents, and persuaded my dad to look for Masterpiece toys. Hasn't the year flown by? This time last year we were entering the halfway point for McCarthy's All Hail Megatron. But anyway. Here's the comics that IDW has on offer for us this month:

THE TRANSFORMERS #2
Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa, ANDREW WILDMAN

"Things Fall Apart," Part 1: After the shocking events at the end of last issue, the Autobots are in total disarray. An unexpected leader rises, and unlikely alliances are made.

32 pages, $3.99.

TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #2

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

After a shakeup in Autobot leadership, Bumblebee finds himself leading a group that believes him to be unprepared for the job. An opportunity to radically improve the Autobots reputation arises and he accepts despite his reservations, embarking on a clandestine mission for the human military to find and disable all remaining rogue robots. 

32 pages, $3.99.

TRANSFORMERS BEST OF UK: PREY #5

Written by SIMON FURMAN

Art by VARIOUS

Colors by ANNIE HALFACREE

Covers by ANDREW GRIFFITH, interior art

Dinobot Swoop sets out alone to settle an old score with Divebomb, but gets more than he bargained for when the rest of the Predacons arrive. Continuing the collection of classic tales from across the pond.

32 pages, $3.99.

TRANSFORMERS TALES OF THE FALLEN: RAVAGE
Written by SIMON FURMAN
Art by ALEX MILNE
Colors by JOSH PEREZ
Covers by Milne
The momentous event that is Transformers: Nefarious kicks off with the sudden, shocking -- and silent -- reappearance of stealth agent Ravage. Thought destroyed in Revenge of the Fallen, Ravage is back. But who is pulling his strings, and what is his mysterious but crucial mission?

32 pages, $3.99.
And with that, Fanbot bids you farewell for now. Do NOT miss these!

Posted by Fanbot at 5:01 pm, WEDNESDAY 2 December

Going Backwards - Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #5 review

And so it ends ... well, at least this series anyway. And what an end Simon and Nick have brought us. Death, resurrection, retribution and vengeance, all packed into 22 pages. Wow. Things in Dallas kick up to the highest possible notch, with Grimlock and co. seemingly defeated by Scorponok, with Shockave arriving to slag Scorponok. Before I get into this review, please let me direct your eye over to the cover, seen right. Art by Nick Roche, colors by Priscilla Tramontano. The colors and compostiton for this are off the charts, way better than any other except for #2. But why is Sunstreaker here, driving out of a fireball? Ain't he suppposed to be inacapacitated and headless? But anyway, here's the scoop...

Synopsis: Grimlock is in shock at the sight of Sludge’s dead body, and Scorponok and Shockwave begin to fight over who gets to kill the Autobots. The other Dynobots decide to run whilst they can, but for Grimlock it’s now personal. Hot Rod decides to stay with him even though he can barely stand.
Agent Red hurtles towards the scene on a Skywatch truck, where his minions brief him on the fact Shockwave has seemingly been keeping his end of the bargain (by first leading them to the Seekers before heading to the main concentration of aliens.) As the 24-hour timer on Shockwave’s bomb has almost run out he orders that if it looks as if all the robots are present it should be allowed to detonate, if not it should be reset.
As Grimlock tries desperately to revive Sludge, Shockwave takes advantage of the fear of the vulnerable Dante being within Scorponok to beat him. Shockwave doesn’t kill the human, though, as it’s more logical for the Headmaster to just step down and use his escape route and to let him finish the Dynobots. Scorponok agrees and flees underground; Grimlock attempts to give chase but is soon fighting Shockwave instead.
At the Monsterbot ship the Dynobots hesitate about leaving their commander, and after deciding they’re not like the mercenary renegades they return. Meanwhile, within Machination Headquarters Hot Rod finds both Hunter and Scorponok’s real head. Hunter explains that disconnecting it will shut Scorponok down, but before Hot Rod can do so he is attacked by the full-bodied version.
As the Dynobots prepare to attack Shockwave from behind they are somewhat surprised to have a recovered Sludge groggily come up behind them. With the 24 hour countdown heading towards zero Agent Red orders the bomb be disarmed for now; this allows Soundwave (who has been perched on a precipice observing everything) intercepts the code and gives Shockwave control in exchange for being told how to restore his own robot mode.
The charade over, Ravage and Laserbeak make a bloody escape from Skywatch and Shockwave admits he never had any real interest in fighting Grimlock -- going to leave until the Dynobot calmly drops a grenade on the floor which blows up the building their fight has smashed them into.
Underground Scorponok is preparing to deliver the killing blow to Hot Rod when the other Dynobots arrive and Swoop takes out the connecting wires to the real head with his wings. The main body is immediately rendered gormless, and as they prepare to kill him in a very permanent fashion Ultra Magnus arrives and proclaims that Scorponok will stand trail fairly. Swoop is worried Magnus has come for the Dynobots as well, a question he sidesteps by saying they should destroy the facility and get off the planet quickly.
Three days later on Ark 32: Sunstreaker is being repaired, Hot Rod has a shiny new body and Hunter -- as human as he’s ever going to be again -- is reunited with Verity and Jimmy. Ultra Magnus explains to Optimus that although most of the loose ends have been tied up Skywatch could remain a problem.
Back on his own ship Ultra Magnus visits one of his prisoners, Grimlock. In exchange for the other Dynobots not being arrested he’s going to take the full rap for their actions. But Grimlock doesn’t care, having decided to take full responsible for the first time in his life as Sludge is alive and his team is free. On Earth, the Dynobots finish repairing the Skyfire and prepare to depart.

The Good: OK, here is where Max Dinos wraps up, tying off all the little plot ends set up in Devastation/Revelation. It's very good to see all these tied up and sorted. We even get a couple panels worth of Verity and Jimmy, restored to full health by wonder-medic Ratchet. Good to see that. Simon, you've done good; the story is believable and the conclusion satisfies me greatly. Nick does an awesome job at his art duties as well, executing the pages with great precision. Hot Rod wielding Sludge's SLAGGING HUGE energo-sword is a great thing to see, and Roddy's gory, half-crushed-in, fluid-dripping face at the issue's end astounds me. Great job.

The Bad: Verity and Jimmy only get two panels. That's barely half a page. I like these guys, and they got pushed to the back. The story, though good in itself, seemed a bit rushed. The Dinobots' final battle with Scorponok was very short, didn't really have any flair. And James Raiz's messy art dominating the issue is very annoying.  Need I go on?

The Ugly: Sludge is once again drawn (by the two different artists) with two different heads, one with a nose and one without. Grimlock's beast mode (courtesy of Raiz) has returned to the generic killer T-Rex body/pose (as opposed to Nick's sleek Beast Wars-inspired design). Lastly, Hot Rod takes Sludge's SLAGGING HUGE energo-sword into Machination HQ, but when about to destroy Scorponok's head, he just has his green metal crutch as a weapon. Where'd he put the sword? This may be due to not enough specifics in Simon's script as to the nature of Roddy's weapon.

Verdict: A satisfying end to a very awesome series. James Raiz's art soured the experience though. Next up: Spotlight JAZZ. Rated 8.5 out of 10. 

Posted by Fanbot at 5:26 pm, SUNDAY 27 September

Going Backwards - Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #4 review

Welcome back to Going Backwards Reviews! Sorry for not reviewing these sooooo long, really couldn't be stuffed and I had other reviews to do. Anyway, back to the review. As with the rest of the Maximum Dinobots series, the action kicks up a notch with every issue that passes. I'm left stunned, gripped and cheering for more. Simon Furman, Nick Roche, Josh Burcham - is there any creative team better (apart from Nick Roche, Nick Roche  and Kris Carter)? So, let's see what they have in store for us this time...

Synopsis: In Portland Oregon, Ravage and Laserbeak finally locate Soundwave and forcibly rescue him. Returning him to Mount St. Helens, Soundwave is left unsure what he can do next as he has no way of getting out of cassette player mode. Shockwave appears and explains the technology freezing Soundwave was of his design, and that they can help each other.
In Dallas, Hot Rod leaves the Machination Headquarters in time to let the real Sunstreaker in. Though he pleads with the Headmaster to wait until they can get back up, Sunstreaker has had enough and wants to be whole again immediately. As he goes inside a disappointed Hot Rod goes to call for help.
As the Monsterbot ship flies from Fallon to Texas, Grimlock brokers a deal with the outcast Autobots, for an extension of the alliance he’ll give them the encrypted data they stole from Shockwave’s ship before destroying it. However he finds the other Dynobots are still unsure of their current fugitive status.
Hot Rod takes the painful step of boosting his internal comm. system through with a Machination power source, blasting it through several satellites before it heads in the direction of Ultra Magnus’ space ship.
Sunstreaker feels he’s getting close to his head when Scorponok blasts him from behind. Gloatingly he explains he knew Sunstreaker was in the building all along as each real Headmaster has a unique recognition stamp. His gloating is cut short however when he realises Hunter has disengaged from the now lifeless body. He goes to hunt the human down but is interrupted by a message telling him of the imminent arrival of the Monsterbot ship.
Onboard the ship, the Dynobots argue about why they even need to go after Scorponok, arguing they should just leave the planet at once. Grimlock though considers this personal, and once the ship’s weapons have taken care of the main Machination defences he charges into battle. After a seconds hesitation, the others follow him and they begin taking on the Headmasters
Hunter meanwhile has found Sunstreaker’s head. Feeling there were no options remaining he disconnects it, which in effect instantly disables all the Headmaster’s outside. The Dynobots are confused, and an attempted explanation from Hot Rod only adds to this. The conversation is cut short when Scorponok blasts Sludge down, immediately followed by Shockwave who wants revenge on the Dynobots himself.
In space, Ultra Magnus hears Hot Rod’s distress call and vows that this time Scorponok will not escape…

The Good: This issue is almost as good as the rest, though not quite. See The Bad for more on this. Anyways, Nick Roche does his usual amazing job on art duties. His lines are like a drug to me, I can't live without them. Best panel is when Sunstreaker gets blasted in the chest by Scorponok, fluid spraying in all directions and molten metal congealing around the balst hole. This panel is just slagging awesome. I love it. Simon Furman's plot is well-done and seems to go along very well. Haven't detected any plot holes yet. His story leaves me gripped and cheering for more, and that's how it should be. Fill-in artist James Raiz does well, although I never liked his style he can draw better than me any day and I applaud him or stepping up to the mark for this. But...

The Bad: OK, James Raiz is a good artist but the fact remains that he is not, and never will be, Nick Roche. His art style is NOTHING LIKE NICK'S. I mean they could at least have got someone with an art style remotely resembling Nick's, like Emiliano Santalucia or even Casey Coller. The art changes are very jarring, and Joana Lafuente's colors continue to annoy me. Where are you Josh Burcham? ("On AHM you noob", I hear as I type) But other than that, the comic is great.

The Ugly: Sludge is drawn differently between the two artists. James' Sludge head has a nose and features while Nick's head is flat with no nose. I mean if they're going to have different artists they could at least have the same designs! Nothing else.

Verdict: Quite good, but the creative team goes seriously downhill at this issue. The story is great and I enjoyed reading this. Rated 8 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 5:31 pm, WEDNESDAY 23 September

Review - Tales of the Fallen: Sideswipe

Tales of the Fallen started off very well with the spotlight shone on fan-favourite Bumblebee. The story was enjoyable and the art very nice to look at. But all this goes out the window with Tales of the Fallen: Sideswipe. Before we get into the review, let me direct your eye to the cover, left. Art and colors by Alex Milne, and he has done a great job on it. Great colors and art-nouveau design. Bit disappointed about the lack of a name on it, as was with 'Bee's cover. This title has been seen in some versions of the cover, but unfortunately has been omitted for the release. Why, IDW, why?

The Good: Well, Moose Baumann, who colored about half of the comic, did an excellent job at enhancing Carlos Magno's artwork. Very well done. And, um, well nothing else really. See below for details ...

The Bad: Man, I don't even know where to start with this one. Carlos' art did the job alright as usual, but his detail quality went extremely downhill here. In Sideswipe's flashbacks, the cybertronian-altmode Transformers were drawn very generically, with no real deviation from each other. They looked like badly drawn Bionicles. Next up, Simon Furman's writing (Chris Mowry did the previous issue); I know that everyone says he has very predictable and cliched storylines, but this is just ridiculous. There is virtually no substance to the story other than "Sideswipe's pissed at Demolishor while Demolishor slags a couple city blocks and escapes to fight another day". This is definitely the worst issue I have ever read. The stuff you get on Free Comic Book Day is better. But at least there was a decent amount of internal monologue, which is more than can be said for Shane McCarthy's Spotlights. But this issue still sucks majorly.

The Ugly:In his first appearance in the comic, Demolishor is drawn pain-stakingly toy-accurate, with wheels formed from his folded out treads and no fingers on his shovel-hands. However, when he shows up again later, he's instead drawn the way he appears in the movie, with fingers and separate tires.

Verdict: Absolutely disgusting. This is Simon at his very worst (something I've never seen before) and Carlos' sub-par artwork fails to impress. Rated 6.5 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 5:17 pm, SUNDAY 20 September

Going Backwards - Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #3 review

Welcome back to Going Backwards - your one stop review shop for all things that have been and gone. This week, Fanbot presents to you webreaders out there his views on Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #3! Loved this issue to bits when I originally purchased it - slept with it by my pillow that night (dodgy much?). This issue, things heat up for all involved in this story; Grimlock's deceit divides the Dinobots, Hot Rod threatens to be terminated, and Scorponok looks to be top bot in the whole fiasco. Once again, Simon Furman and Nick Roche deliver on quality - good quality that is. But anyway ... let's dive right into this comic, and see what lies beneath ...

Synopsis: Agent Red has overseen the reactivation and rearming of Shockwave, including planting a bomb with a 24 hour timer within him. Shockwave agrees to hunt down and deal with the various escaped Transformers, but Red is left with the uneasy feeling they might come to regret this.
In the wreckage of Fallon the Dynobots are still upset with Grimlock and though they won’t fight him any more they are disinclined to help him, Swoop is even so disgusted he flies off. Though as the Headmasters arrive and start attacking Grimlock they soon decide that it’s better to die as a team than alone, with even Swoop returning. Surrounded and out-gunned it seems that this is indeed the end…
Outside Machination Headquarters in Dallas, Sunstreaker has arrived. Though Sunstreaker wants to go in, guns blazing, Hunter remembers how narrow their escape from Scorponok was last time and decides it's better to wait and watch for the right time to act. He takes control of Sunstreaker and removes himself (Sunstreaker's head) from Sunstreaker.
As the Headmasters prepare to deliver the killing blow to the Dynobots they are suddenly attacked from behind by an Autobot shuttle, from which the Monsterbots disembark to join in the fight.
On the monitors in Dallas, Hot Rod watches this with much hilarity, annoying Scorponok to the point he orders a couple of Headmasters to take him outside and shoot him. They don’t take him very far, though, before Hot Rod channels all his energy into his exterior and fries them. Damaged and low on power he struggles to the exit as Hunter watches from outside.
Meanwhile, Shockwave has ignored his orders to deal with the active Transformers and has instead tracked down Soundwave in Portland…

The Good: Things start to kick up a notch in this issue - though I said that about the last one as well. Furman always has some great simple ideas for all us TF fans to read (even if he is a little repetitive/ predictable), and he pretty much always delivers he plot well. Nick Roche's art is great to look at as well - always had a soft spot for the Irishman's line style. The sequence where Hot Rod uses "Flame Out" to frag the Sunstreaker clones is wicked. Totally awesome. So overall the comic is well-set out, the plot believable enough.

The Bad: This issue delivers amazing quality in all quadrants as usual for the series, but it is in this one that the creative team starts to go downhill. First, Josh Burcham's awesome colors go out the window, to be replaced by a poor imitation courtesy of Joana Lafuente. Nothing against her personally, just that she fails majorly at copying Burcham. Next up, Robbie Robbins takes over as letterer; this guy's tails are fat and look amateurish - I could do better tails myself in the sub-par program Comic Life!

The Ugly: Only one conitinuity error. Monsterbot Repugnus is alive and well, yet the last (and first, in the IDWverse) time we saw him his spark was imprisoned in the spark containment facility on Garrus-9. This is very far way. WTF is going on IDW? Must you make so many continuity errors that you enter the same category of continuity-screwing publishers as DC? Please, stop it now before it is too late.

Verdict: Satisfying. Love the issue as always. The break up of the creative team mars the experience though. Rated 8.5 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 11: 27 am, SATURDAY 29 August

Going Backwards - Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #2 review

Wow, I'm really eating my words now. Turns out IDW's got a motherload of TF comics heading our way (see previous post). But anyway, onto ancient history - Fanbot Productions proudly present Going Backwards review #2 (the sequel!): Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #2. By the way, Nick Roche's cover for this issue (shown left) is awesome. Great composition and the slogan at the bottom reminds us of those old Marvel issues with their slogans slapped on the cover (exclamation marks omnipresent). But on to the review (+ synopsis)...

Synopsis: A badly battered Hot Rod is hurled against a wall by Scorponok, who gloats that he is merely playing with the young warrior as he wants him alive to witness his plan unfold. After crippling Hot Rod, Scorponok has his clones take him to an observation room showing him the situation in Fallon. The police have opened fire on Grimlock but all they've done is enrage him. After demolishing the immediate area, Grimlock calls out to Scorponok, letting him know he's fully aware of exactly what's going on. Transforming he tells Scorponok to bring it! Scorponok muses, reminding himself of the mind lurking beneath Grimlock's bestial nature. After a brief bit of explanation to Hot Rod, Scorponok sits back to enjoy the show as the Dynobots are released onto the field.

Near Nashville, Sunstreaker is flooring it, heading for Dallas. Hunter thinks they should head for Fallon instead, but Sunstreaker points out that by retrieving his head, they disable the Headmasters, which makes everything else just collateral damage.
Grimlock is ready for a fight. What he isn't ready for is the Dynobots bursting through some nearby buildings. Scorponok loosens his hold on them slightly to let a bit of their savage nature shine through, as Grimlock realizes they are no longer in control of their own actions. Meanwhile, police are prevented from calling in help thanks to Skywatch's blockade. Agent Red is updated on the fight, including the drop in the efficiency of the neural net. Understanding that something more is going on, he boards a chopper, ready to do something he should have done the moment they lost Grimlock.
Back in Fallon, Grimlock is trying to get through to his team as they slam him into a nearby building. Breaking free, he quickly takes out Snarl, Sludge and Swoop, but when he tries to get to Slag, he is blasted straight into a petrol station, which promptly explodes, knocking all five Dynobots flying. As the police check to make sure everyone is evacuated, Scorponok revels in the destruction, to Hot Rod's disappointment. Scorponok however, thinks it is a ploy to get him to tell all, a wasted one as he meant to anyway. He plans to place the blame on Skywatch, while using the Dynobots to take out Grimlock, and then using the Headmasters to take out the Dynobots. His team will be regarded as heroes, he will get government contracts in order to protect against aliens, and from there on, there's no stopping him.
In New Zealand, a ship touches down near the Skyfire. The occupants are looking for Grimlock, and intend to track him down.
Scorponok is intrigued by Grimlock's admittance of guilt and reduces his hold on the Dynobots enough for their personalities to surface. Meanwhile, Grimlock has recovered from the blast and detects a human caught in the fire. Transforming, he grudgingly goes to help, when Slag and company, now transformed, reappear and demand the truth. Grimlock tells them of his endgame move, but says it was something any of them would have done—Dynobots may be down, but never out. Slag agrees but says that by going behind their backs, Grimlock assured they ceased to be a team. Grimlock points out that Slag usually went out of his way to stress they were never a real team, that they followed no one's rules or conventions but their own, and that what Grimlock had done had been "them", all over. He proceeds to rip the rail car diner with the human trapped inside from the ground and takes it to safety. Amused, Scorponok sends in his Headmasters.
At Salt Lake City, Agent Red decides to have a heart to heart with the last of the Eureka Six: Shockwave!

The Good: Once again, Simon and Nick have done an excellent job. I believe the whole point of this miniseries (aside from getting a big dose of Dinobot mayhem) was to tie up all the little plot points, plots and subplots that came before so newcomer Shane McCarthy could do his thing with AHM. And this is why I am immensely satisfied with it - "I love it when a plan comes together." Everything slides into place, while a few other things start to snowball. And the art, as is usual with Nick Roche, leaves me stunned and satisfied with my purchase. Very good, Mr Furman, very good.

The Bad: Poor Hot Rod. But it had to happen eventually. According to Furman, Roddy was supposed to metaphorically go through the wringer, but not in this way (as a result of his acquiring the MacGuffin plot device The Magnificence). I am kinda against this, because of his somewhat disturbing injuries if nothing else. But anyway. And also, while the overall story serves well, Scorponok's behavior and ambitions are very typical of the cartoon evil guy - revealing his master plan to a captured goodie, and aiming to take over the world. But this is something you have to take with Furman's writing. He uses cliches; get over it quick you'll and enjoy the story anyway.

Verdict: Mmm-hmm. Very good, awesome job in all quadrants as always. Bit of a hollow plot in some points, but overall nicely done. Rated 9 out of 10.

Posted by  Fanbot at 1:01 pm, MONDAY 24 August

Going Backwards - Maximum Dinobots #1 review

Since IDW's totally awesome looking Transformers ongoing title doesn't come out until November, and there's bugger-all G1 stuff coming out each month, I thought that you TF fans might like a little history lesson to brush up on events past. So, every week, there'll be a review of all the main TF comics that came after Revelation - Maximum Dinobots, All Hail Megatron, and maybe some Spotlights. So, starting off the Going Backwards sequence is Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #1! Here we go.

Synopsis: Grimlock surveys the wreck of his ship Skyfire as he remembers the good times he had with his fellow Dynobots back on Cybertron. A quick review of events past is given - his outlaw status among the Autobots, Scorponok wanting revenge, and Megatron poised to take over Earth. "How much worse can it get?" Grimlock asks himself.

Elsewhere, Agent Red of Skywatch oversees the test run of the neurally controlled Dinobots, in which they prove extremely efficient at destruction. Agent Red is still suspicious that it is too good to be true (after Grimlock was inexplicably freed from remote control back in Spotlight: Grimlock). Sure enough, at Machination HQ, Abraham Dante is informed by Skywatch double agent Kloss that he's implanted a virus capable of destroying the Dinobots' neural nets. He surveys his army of Sunstreaker clones, exhibiting typical villain behavior.

Meanwhile, Sunstreaker destroys Machination warehouse in Massacheusetts, angry he hasn't found his real head. Hunter, as his driver avatar, reminds him of the data they picked up from the destroyed warehouse, which leads them to discover a clue to something called "Dinobots" in Dallas, Texas.

Back on the Skyfire, Grimlock uses his last reserves of power to send a message requesting help from some "unsavory types". He is alerted to a unit of Dante's Headmasters, who have teleported into the area and are attacking his ship. he sneaks behind them, transforms to T-Rex mode and tears through the Headmasters. However, one of them manages to place a device on Grimlock which orbital bounces him back to Fallon, Nevada. A public panic there alerts Skywatch, who dispatch the Dinobots to contain Grimlock.

Meanwhile, Hot Rod arrives at the Machination HQ gates. Scorponok s not concerned; he announces he'll truncate Hot Rod's existence after he's done with the Dinobots.

The Good: Simon Furman. Nick Roche. Possibly the best creative team in TF history. The story is amazingly good quality, and Nick's art has always made me go all gooey-eyed whenever I look at it. He is a fricking awesome artist, second best in my book (after E J Su). Colorist Josh Burcham, how could I forget him. I always liked his coloring style - semi-painted look, goes great with Nick's art. All in all a well-put-together, visually dazzling, gripping issue. Woohoo!

The Bad: For once, I am totally at loss as to what to put into this section. Virtually nothing makes me angry or annoyed when I read this one. Only thing - why'd they make the "Transformers" title on the cover big and on two lines like in earlier TF comics, rather than just use the small one-line title they've used for the last 5 or so issues? That is all.

Verdict: A truly amazing comic. All areas are exquisite, and the story is solid with multiple subplots intertwining and coming together. You go guys, keep up the good work. Rated 10 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 5:09 pm, WEDNESDAY 19 August

I'm baack! And with AHM #13 review

Welcome back readers! Sorry for not blogging for SO long - problems with internet connection. Anyway, to launch back into it - a new review! This articles covers The Transformers: All Hail Megatron (Coda) #13!

The Good: this issue is an absolute gem. Containing two 11-page stories - "Old Ways", written by uber-scribe Simon Furman, art by fan-favourite Don Figueroa; and "Uneasy Lies the Head", written by Mike Costa, art by Chee Yang Ong. 

The art is possibly the best I've seen in a Transformers comic for a long time. Some juicy little plot points that tantalise and intrigue, and all the art is great - Don Figueroa's realistic new style, Chee's shadowy inks - by Primus, it's all too much for me. And the stories are well-done as well - Mike Costa's dialogue really delivers (sorry Simon, but you've been doing it for years).

The Bad: on the whole, I'm pretty happy with this, but Chee's artwork, though very cool, isn't that realistic - this isn't a surprise, as he hasn't done any work on this title before. Just a small gripe. And also, Simon's story is kind of a bit cut short in the end - we know Optimus and Irohide survive, 

but what happened? Maybe it would have been better to just have 32 pages of no ads, and 16 pages each way. Yeah, that'd be great.

The Ugly: no real errors that I can see, but in "Old Ways" the story kinda contradicts Ironhide's opinion of Optimus that is seen in Shane McCarthy's All Hail Megatron - in this story Ironhide says he hated Optimus, while in AHM he said he would have died for him, "even back then." And Optimus seems to not recognise Ironhide, even though they were in the same unit together in Spotlight: Blurr.

Overall, I'm rating All Hail Megatron #13 at 9/10. This one is the best I've seen for ages, and I can't wait for the next issue. Woohoo!

Posted by Fantom at 4:04 pm, TUESDAY 28 July