Transformers: Windblade #4 – Review

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

The Story: Windblade runs up against one of the key problems of representative government – if you’re not willing to seize power, there’s someone else who will.

The Review: It’s hard to use words like best when you’re talking about the current IDW Transformers line. Robots in Disguise is rather underrated in my opinion, More Than Meets The Eye is acknowledged genius, but somehow there’s something special about Transformers: Windblade that makes it one of my favorite books month after month. Sadly this is the end for our little miniseries that could, but it certainly doesn’t go out quietly.

Transformers: Windblade #4 admittedly suffers from a common comic malady, the overstuffed conclusion. There’s a lot going on here and, if this were a movie or a TV show, it really should come after the climax rather than just starting off the issue. Nevertheless, it’s like that because it would be a shame to lose any of the action that Mairghread Scott has laid out for us.

Part of what’s made Windblade such a success is the infectious optimism of our title heroine. While it may have been a bit much for Windblade to start entirely ignorant of Starscream’s reputation, she’s generally avoided being pure maiden of pure purity while remaining hopeful for the future of Cybertron. Like most of us at some time or another, Windblade feels out of place, like she doesn’t quite belong, on Cybertron, but what’s so charming about her is the way that she earnestly, but not fearlessly throws herself into her new role and opens herself to the people of Cybertron, despite being a Camien. This issue, that’s going to be tested.

As readers we possess the necessary distance to see the flaws in both the Autobot and Decepticon ideologies. We see the tragic flaws that have doomed Megatron’s rebellion and the cracks in the Autobot myth that Optimus Prime is desperately trying to hold together and redeem by force of will alone. As an outsider, Windblade has a similar distance. She has the opportunity to show Cybertron a better way, but, if she can’t, Starscream has his own way of creating the Cybertronian Utopia, one that has always been at war with Eastasia.

Transformers: Windblade #3 – Review

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

The Story: Starscream wants to know what Windblade’s agenda is. Windblade’s all to happy to share it with him…

The Review: With a gaggle of friends from Maccadam’s in tow, Windblade has stumbled across a conspiracy that she believes could make Starscream more dangerous than Thunderwing, Shockwave, or Megatron. But if she’s going to stop him, she’ll need to make it back to Metroplex’s surface and Starscream’s none too keen on that.

The first obstacle is a squad of Terrorcons. Mairghread Scott’s battle scene is a little chaotic at times and fairly simple beneath all its bluster, but she does an excellent job of using the fight as an opportunity to add personality to the issue. Windblade’s inner monologue tells us a good deal about her without feeling expositional and deepens our understanding of her character and her world. Likewise, Scott uses the circumstances to urge Blurr and Chromia into choices that instantly reveal their character.

While the battle is solidly written, things don’t truly take off until it ends. Scott clearly takes enjoyment in writing Starscream and the book comes alive the minute he comes on the scene. Yes, I’m a fan of old Screamer, but whether you love or hate the ex-Decepticon Air Commander, you’ll have to admit that he’s an impressive adversary by the time this issue is over.

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: Dark Cybertron Finale – Review

By: John Barber and James Roberts (writers), Phil Jimenez (layouts), Brendan Cahill (pencils), Brian Shearer (inks), Josh Perez (colors)

The Story: At the end of time all things are possible. Up is down, black is white, past and future are one and the same, and Megatron even finds himself indulging in “heroic nonsense.”

The Review: “Dark Cybertron”. What a long, strange event this turned out to be. I remember reaching the half-way point and thinking that this was only really exciting because it was supposed to be. This was the culmination of my IDW Transformers, in the late Furman days, and yet it dragged on. Could a story come back from an opening that sluggish?

With a smirk worthy of Starscream, himself, John Barber and James Roberts have answered, “yes.”

To quickly address the content of my opening paragraph, this issue does not redeem six, eight, ten issues of bided time, though it provides important context for much of it. Indeed this whole affair might have worked better without the branding, as this is less a finale for “Dark Cybertron” and more of one for the whole of IDW’s phase 2, possibly even one for the entirety of this universe so far.

There’s a lot going on this month but Barber and Roberts do an excellent job of keeping the action clear. Transformers; especially Transformers filled with Headmasters, comics-only characters, and other relatively obscure bots; can sometimes have trouble differentiating among their larger casts, but not only are all of the characters visually and narratively distinct, many of them are effectively reintroduced for new and confused readers – and not an infodump in sight!

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #26 – Review

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

The Story: Well That’s Just Prime or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Matrix.

The Review: As this issue opens, Iacon is infested with a death plague and Orion Pax finds himself at the mercy of Nova Prime. With only one-third of the crossover remaining, this would be a fine time for the climax to begin, or at least for things to finally start happening. Thankfully, that’s exactly what this issue provides, if not quite in the expected fashion.

This is probably the most exciting issue of “Dark Cybertron” so far, but it seems that no one told the writers. Though the content of the issue is a step above, the constant switching between settings feels more than a little artificial. Stepping away from the Orion/Nova showdown mid-punch is a strange choice, especially if it’s only to check in with Ultra Magnus. It also doesn’t help that the artists drawing the two halves of the book couldn’t be more different, but more on that later.

Barber and Roberts cushion the blow by having dialogue trail from one sequence into the next, however this technique is most effective when the dialogue comments on each scene differently and the issue is rather hit-and-miss in that regard.