Comic Review: Transformers Galaxies #3

Transformers Galaxies #3

IDW Publishing

Writer: Tyler Bleszinski

Artist: Livo Ramondelli

Like the rest of this reboot, Transformers Galaxies #3 veers off in a different direction from the last issue. In some ways for the better, in some ways for the worse. Artificial energon injections and cannibalistic Insecticons have scarpered out of this issue, despite the important developments that accompanied those questionable plot points. Instead, we see Termagax making a case for the Constructicons, who find themselves fighting a vicious “presence” in their combined form.

The future revolutionary Termagax is the only compelling element this book has to offer. Of course, she’s been far and away from the best part of the reboot. My only issue with her character is that she doesn’t show up enough in the main book, so she’s relegated side content like Galaxies. Even so, I can hardly complain about seeing more of her.

Even as the Constructicons struggle with their newfound power, Termagax is supporting them along the way. As appreciative as they are, there’s a captivating ambiguity as to whether she’s trying to give some troubled bots a second chance or using them for her own gain. Considering she founds the Decepticons, it’s easy to imagine she won’t let a few deaths get in the way of her vision of a better world. Termagax presents a moral ambiguity that’s rare to see anywhere in Transformers and American comics in general.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book doesn’t work nearly as well. My complaints from the previous issue more or less hold up. The Constructicons are a bit more interesting, as the book emphasizes their gratefulness for being accepted back into Cybertronian society. That’s nicely contrasted with a growing suspicion from Scrapper that it’s all a ruse and they’ll be left to rust soon enough. Unfortunately for the Constructicons and Cybertron as a whole, that isn’t the artificial energon talking.

Livio Ramondelli’s art is still not pleasant to look at. Everything looks a bit off, further muddled by a questionable choice of colors and digital effects. Aside from what I’ve previously discussed, the framing is starting to become a real problem. A mix of clumsy perspectives and layout decisions forced me to read certain pages twice just to figure out what was happening.

The best example is the introduction of Nominus Prime. Wheeljack tries to convince the Cybertronian Senate to deal with the Constructicons. There only appears to be two senators and it’s unclear that Nominus is even present before the awkward shift to him standing up. Even in a basic conversation, it’s difficult to tell where everything is supposed to be or what the book is even trying to represent. That’s an apt metaphor for this “Bold New Era” as a whole. There’s certainly an underlying vision for the Transformers but the execution makes it uncertain what that might actually be.