Thursday, February 7, 2013

Comic Review – Transformers: More than meets the eye #13


            I know, you’ve been holding your breath for this review for a month now.  Well breathe easy because it is here and the comic itself was well worth the wait.  I have yet to pour through my stack of comics this week yet, but it was a banner week for IDW’s Transformers franchise as it saw three titles released along with the new issue of Think Tank and the Paul Jenkins/Humberto Ramos Kickstarter monster known as Fairy Quest (now picked up and released by Boom Studios).  I can’t speak to the quality of the other comics out this week, but I know that Transformers: MTMTE is top notch, let’s dive in shall we?


Cover:
            Cover A featured the Transformers found in the issue in their human guises (a solid hologram that can be used to seamlessly blend into a crowd of humans or other aliens.  Cover B, the one that I purchased, was the image above.  Both covers actually take place within the story so that is a bonus.  The cover that I picked up was well done even though it was slightly misleading.  I was under the assumption that Cyclonus, who I am just waiting for to betray the bunch, finally lost it and it was up to the other members of the Lost Light to subdue.  This is pretty far from the truth, but he does lose his cool in one part of the story (for a couple panels) so while it was sneaky by artist Nick Roche, it was not a blatant lie to get people to pick up the book.  The artwork itself is very well done (as we have grown to expect from Roche) and each character seems to be exuding a bit of his own personality with their respective body language and facial expression.  Roche has become a master of taking traditionally blocky figures and imbuing them with a level of fluid movement and emotion that is hard to believe is even possible.  He is definitely one of the best Transformers artists currently working and when paired with a good colorist, like he is with Josh Burcham here on the cover (who also colors the interiors) then his work is kicked up a whole other notch. 

8/10 – A solid illustration made even better by the coloring.

Story:
            Swerve tends to be writer James Roberts’ mouthpiece for many of the issues, and this one especially.  This is a good thing as he has taken Swerve from a supporting character and made him the focal point of the buddy-comedy that he has created with MTMTE.  Not only that, but each other character on the Lost Light (the spaceship they are all travelling on) has his own distinct personality as well as their own specific mission (some have yet to be revealed).  This particular story focuses on a “quiet” period, where the individual members of the lost light are let off the ship for a little R & R. 

            Crazy antics ensue (which always seems to happen to these guys) as well as some revelations about Swerve, Ultra Magnus and Tailgate.  Roberts balances humor, talking heads, and a good deal of emotion and still finds a way to move the story forward.  This is the kind of done-in-one story that we used to see all the time back in the eighties and early nineties and it is a revelation to be able to sit down and enjoy a comic that takes longer than eight minutes to read.
            The best part of the comic is the revelation about Swerve and his “friendship” with Blurr at the end.  This adds another dimension to the character and while it was unexpected, was a welcome addition. 

            Now it isn’t all roses as Roberts does tend to get a little wordy in some places, but he does manage to balance that out with some silent panels here and there, little beats where we can catch our breath and enjoy the artwork. 

            I can’t talk about the writing here without also mentioning the prose story in the back that takes an instance in the comic and expands upon it, while also filling in the gaps between issues nicely.  Other writers and other companies would have taken that four page story and made it into a six issues, but Roberts wedges it in quite nicely.  Is it necessary to read it in order to enjoy this issue?  Not at all, but it is nice to be able to have anything extra on hand from an individual like Roberts who obviously knows and loves the property. 

8/10 – While it is not a page-turner by any means, it is a solid character driven story that expands upon the individuals and fits in nicely in the series.  This is the calm before the storm as next issue will reveal a big villain for the crew if I remember correctly.

Art:
            Guido Guidi is the artist on this issue and his style seems to mesh well with the style that Roche has established for the series.  Guidi has a very open style that leaves a lot of room for the colorist (Burcham and Joana LaFuente) to add layers and mood.  It keeps an animated feel, which is nice considering the roots of the franchise, but does not make it feel like a children’s comic.  It is incredibly accessible to everyone as kids will be attracted to the characters and the color while the parents will enjoy the decent storytelling in the artwork as well as the story itself. 

            The artwork can seem to get a little overwhelmed by amount of detail that Guidi squeezes into each panel and each page, as he, and in some instances the colorists, don’t always do a great job of separating the fore/middle/backgrounds.  This leads to a bit of confusion every once in awhile and can lead to moments of sub-par storytelling, but it quickly rights itself and never gets stuck in a rut. 

7/10 – The artwork fits the story and Guidi does a great job as a fill-in for Roche in terms of keeping the styles fairly consistent as well as keeping the characters fluid and emotive throughout the story. 

Overall:  8/10 – This is still the gem of all of the current Transformers books, just as it has been from the beginning.  Robots in Disguise is quickly catching up, as that was more of a slow-burn in terms of getting where it wanted to be but I have a feeling that with next month’s issue, MTMTE will cement its position even further.  It’s nice to anticipate comic again like I did in my youth, and all of the IDW Transformers series do that for me.

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