Comic Review: Transformers #13

Transformers #13

IDW Publishing

Writer: Brian Ruckley

Artists: Angel Hernandez and Alex Milne

After half a year of middling to subpar stories, Transformers morphs into something pretty good. Admittedly it’s mostly because they brought on Alex Milne, the writer, and artist behind some of the best Transformers comics. The first page, nine panels of bots wordlessly receiving the Decepticons symbol, was the first time this series has truly felt at home with the franchise. It perfectly captures the gravity of the narrative while still drawing from Transformers more simplistic origins. Brian Ruckley’s writing is still suspect but Milne’s art brings out the best of it, just as he always does with Transformers.

The story also finally starts moving places. Sentinel Prime’s immediate response to the crisis consuming Cybertron is to start cracking heads. He was already the standout character in this series but unsurprisingly Milne’s presentation makes him more compelling. Watching Sentinel slowly sink into his throne before exploding in rage at news of the dire situation speaks volumes more than the pages of cluttered dialogue this book tends to rely on. He’s clearly meant to be an unstable but decisive leader and that’s perfectly conveyed. In a series full of dull, just-miss-the-mark characters, Sentinel is always a joy to read. Even if he’s clearly going to tear Cybertron apart.

Bumblebee also starts to act intelligently for the first time in this series, channeling his grief and frustration into something productive. Moving on from just mindlessly fighting his new revolutionary peers, he actually looks into what is they’re trying to accomplish. Some more recognizable faces start to pop up along the way, with Soundwave getting a bigger role. More notable is the return of fan-favorite Springer, who was a fixture in Nick Roche’s great Wreckers Trilogy. It’s the first time in a while we’ve seen him as a fresh-faced recruit and not a traumatized vet. I only hope that Ruckley can give him half the depth Roche did. Considering how Transformers has handled everyone but Megatron and Sentinel, I’m not hopeful.

Angel Hernandez’s art has been Transformers’ biggest problem but he’s improved considerably this issue. He pulls off some impressive compositions and action sequences. His figures still feel very clunky and emotion is nonexistent in his hollow vision of Cybertron. There’s at least more consistency to his art now. I have to say putting his art next to Milne’s feels downright unfair. The former offers an excellent interpretation of both the mechanical and “softer” elements of the franchise, in addition to everything that makes a comic worth reading. Even as his art struggles with Hernandez’s clumsy, ugly designs for the bots, it still feels miles ahead. Even so, Hernandez’s art does seem like it’s turning a corner, alongside the rest of the series.