Transformers: Windblade #2 – Review

By: Mairghread Scott (writer), Sarah Stone (art)

The Story: She is the Windblade. She speaks for the city. She speaks for the city, for the city has no vocal processor.

But it seems old Starscream’s discovered something that all dictators need: the means to hold onto his power.

The Review: As Windblade recovers from her recent injuries there’s no time to rest, as Chromia says when asked if Starscream will try again, “There’s no if[…]It’s only a matter of when.”

In this second issue, Transformers: Windblade truly embraces its role as a political thriller. Mairghread Scott is all too happy to play factions off of one another – the King off of his advisors, the Speaker off of her city, the people off of the media – and it works wonderfully.

The script doesn’t bowl you over the way the first issue did, but there are clear standouts. Unsurprisingly one of them is Waspinator. The fan favorite Predacon turned NAIL is appropriately pathetic this issue, but he makes a fantastic partner for Windblade. Sharing her uncertainty but none of her courage, Waspinator brings out the kindest and most wonderful parts of Windblade’s spark. Every fan who’s known him has kind of wanted to give Waspy a hug at some point or another so it’s natural that having our hero talk him down should endear her so. It’s also nice to see little glimpses of his Predacon nature, like when he siphons off some free energon, peak through to remind us that Waspinator has other traits.

Windblade’s other sidekick is, of course, Chromia. Chromia is obviously a more forceful personality than Windblade but the two make for one of the most natural friendships I’ve seen in comics in a long while. Windblade and Chromia have a great little sister-big sister relationship. Chromia is a little too direct, where Windblade isn’t always confident enough to speak her mind. Windblade is a diplomat and a good one, but Chromia is a warrior. They cover each other’s weaknesses and empower the other’s strengths and, unlike many fictional pairs, their drive and determination make it understandable why they became friends. These two characters feel more like the friends you have in life than the ones you see in literature or movies.

I also really approve of what Scott does with Chromia on her own. Chromia doesn’t have time for your “Strong Female Character” nonsense; she’s too busy being a badass female character. She doesn’t have to be the best, she’s comfortable just being better than you. Her awesomeness grows organically out of the script. And though she growls and she fights as well as any action hero, it’s integrated into her character. So when someone tries to shoot her and she responds, “Nice job, loser” you know that she’s got this.

The focus is on these three characters. Starscream and Metroplex get some well written but fleeting screentime and there are minor appearances from Ironhide and the Maccadam’s crew, but we mostly deal with Windblade and whoever she’s talking to at that moment.

Plot-wise things are humming along smoothly and we’re beginning to see the scale of what’s to come. It’s actually surprisingly grand for such a grounded mini, but I’m not complaining. I will say that Starscream’s plan seems a bit different that his usual M.O., but I suppose when you’re the king it’s hard to rise any further in the social hierarchy.

I think the issue’s biggest problem is that moments of realization are sometimes rushed. In both cases, Windblade makes leaps of logic that don’t feel entirely earned. It makes sense in a medium that’s so pressed for time and space, but the harried reveals undercut the issue’s flow.

There’s a lot more white in this book than last time. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s bad but it does mean that we have to wait until the last half of the book to really get the same bombastic quality that defined the previous issue. The lines are also not quite as polished and it seems possible that some of the time and energy for this issue might have gone into perfecting its predecessor. There’s a pretty massive upswing in quality once Chromia tackles Waspinator but that still leaves a little over half a book that’s not quite up to par.

Nonetheless, Sarah Stone’s artwork is still beautiful and wholly unique. Though Chromia and Blurr occasionally look a bit too similar, the bots all suit Stone’s style excellently and the big moments positively sing. It’s amazing how much character Stone wrings from each of her robots. While Scott’s writing would be enough to comment on anyway, each of the aforementioned relationships wouldn’t be half of what they are without Stone’s facial work.

The looks between Chromia and Windblade when they discover the truth about Waspinator or when the latter claims that she “need[s] a drink” are priceless. Likewise the sad, sad life of Waspinator becomes instantly clear when you look into his quivering mandibles. I’m actually very impressed how alien Stone kept the big bug, but it apparently is little to no obstacle for her.

It’s great that Stone isn’t afraid to go big with her compositions. Whether that takes the literal approach of the establishing shot in the depths of Metroplex, the dramatic route of Windblade’s interactions with the city-bot, or the bold framing choices of Chromia’s threat to Waspinator, there’s an extremity in Stone’s work that’s willing to risk a bit to get that moment across. It’s actually rather fitting; like Windblade, Stone isn’t worried about seeming gentle or too invested as long as it benefits the people, the readers, she serves.

The Conclusion: Transformers: Windblade #2 is not the comic its predecessor was, though few are. Both writer and artist are feeling a little less polished. Each of them have areas of the book that feel weaker than the others, but their strengths still shine through in the others.

With a summary like that, this could be a very middle-of-the-road book, but that’s the benefit of being bold. Scott and Stone are trying new and interesting things with this book, finding niches in the standard Transformers mold that haven’t been filled. The result is that even an issue that seems to be showing some fatigue is still very exciting.

The art on this series is a particular treat and Scott’s dialogue is brought to brilliant life by Sarah Stone’s expressions.

It may be a step down from the last issue, but Transformers: Windblade #2 remains a gorgeous and wonderfully realized thriller, full of character, heart, and cleverness.

Grade: B

 

– Noah Sharma

Transformers: Windblade #1 – Review

By: Mairghread Scott (writer), Sarah Stone (art)

The Story: Typical, Starscream ran on a platform of bringing change, and yet he’s still a jet…

The Review: Despite a slow start “Dark Cybertron” came to a triumphant conclusion, one that leaves the Transformers universe in a particularly interesting place. That said the changes were centered around a few important characters. Unlike “The Death of Optimus Prime” very little was torn down by “Dark Cybertron” and instead we find ourselves in a period of building. As the Lost Light prepares for another voyage and Robots in Disguise prepares to return to a more traditional setting, what will become of Cybertron?

Thankfully, despite my worries and a bit of ambiguous dialogue, Transformers: Windblade #1 finds Starscream still in control of Cybertron. The series treads familiar but lively ground for the franchise, setting our titular heroine up as an idealistic civil servant within the hierarchy of a corrupt Cybertron – very much in the tradition of Orion Pax.

Although she fits a familiar archetype, Windblade is thankfully original. From the first panel Mairghread Scott sends a tidal wave of characterization crashing over the book’s pages. Windblade may not have been particularly well-defined during “Dark Cybertron” but after just one issue you’ll feel like you’ve known her forever. She’s an everyman without the neutral mask that normally plagues the concept. She’s optimistic, nervous, grounded, naïve, and eager to do something meaningful, all standard heroic traits but Scott combines them in such a way as to carve out an incredibly specific character for her. The result is endlessly charming.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #27 – Review

By: John Barber & James Roberts (writers), Andrew Griffith (art), Josh Perez (colors)

The Story: Shockwave’s final gambit forces us beyond Autobots, beyond Decepticons, beyond Megatron’s wildest imagination.

The Review: It feels like forever since “Dark Cybertron” started, but as we close in on the end, things are starting to come together. With Shockwave’s gambit revealed last issue, things have gone from bad to worse. Not bad considering that we started with the return of Nemesis Prime and the extermination of the Cybertronian race.

RiD #27 opens with an extremely clever reveal that reminds us the kinds of great comics concepts that the Transformers brand can and often does play with. From there Barber and Roberts begin setting up their finale. The massive casts of both series come together for this clash and everyone has a part to play. It’s an impressive design, but at times it can feel like the issue slows down to accommodate the sheer number of bots involved.

That said, it’s not the big picture that’s important. While the book loses energy to focus on Soundwave or Metroplex’s individual locations, the character work remains extremely strong. Even minor characters like Dreadwing are full of life. And though the positioning could have been handled a little better, the matchups themselves are pretty great. It’s a little weird seeing Jhiaxus take a backseat to his former pupil, but his strategy suits him perfectly. We get to see our favorite Autobots, Decepticons, and even a beloved Predacon take on fan favorites like Shockwave and Bludgeon. Each one has their own sinister style and seems to promise a solid conclusion to one of the series’ major threads.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #25 – Review

By: John Barber and James Roberts (writers); James Raiz, Atilio Rojo, and Livio Ramondelli (artists); Josh Perez and Livio Ramondelli (colors)

The Story: Spread across two universes, Bumblebee, Orion Pax, and Ultra Magnus all find themselves in the belly of the beast.

The Review: Things are looking pretty grim this issue; Orion Pax and Rodimus are captives of Nova Prime; the Lost Light and crew are beset by a horde of murderous mini-cons; Iacon is burning; Megatron has been bisected; and, perhaps worst of all, Shockwave informs us that “we are far from the endgame.”

Yes, even at this late stage, Shockwave still stands amidst his Crystal City headquarters twirling his metaphorical mustache, awaiting the beginning of his mysterious master plan. Luckily for the cyclopean Cybertronian, his scenes feature someone eager to steal the spotlight. Galvatron is a delight in this issue. His grumbling is simultaneously intimidating and humanizing and helps to highlight the line between the mostly Golden Age bots that are part of Shockwave’s conspiracy and the post-war factions who oppose them. The scenes in Crystal City are probably the issue’s most exciting and benefit from a cast that includes strong personalities like Megatron, Bumblebee, and Waspinator.

Atilio Rojo provides the art for the Cybertron sequences. His style has a clean, traditional Transformers look and seems well suited to some of the more dramatic compositions featured in the issue. That said, at times the bots don’t look quite mechanical enough, their slender forms resembling humans in armor a bit too much. This problem affects Galvatron far more than any of the others, but Starscream remains rather off model and the normally hunchbacked Jhiaxus is looking mighty generic. Despite these problems, Rojo does provide a number of lovely close-ups that not only avoid his misteps but are extremely expressive.