Transformer Roll Out: Autobots Deal With Loss in 'More Than Meets the Eye' #16

Julian Titus is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's reviewing the latest book from IDW...

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #16, "The Gloaming"

Welcome back to the Roll Out! After a week’s hiatus I’m back with the aftermath of Overlord’s rampage on the Lost Light.

One of the things that have made the Transformers stand out for me over the years is the fact that they are machines with the capability to feel the same range of emotions that we have. This, I believe, sets them apart from most other robots in science fiction. More Than Meets the Eye #16 takes this emotion to a new level, as the entire story centers on how different characters deal with grief.

Variant cover for Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #16. Hasbro/IDW.

Simply put, Overlord did lasting damage to the crew of the Lost Light, and not everyone made it through. Writer James Roberts handles the survivors with care and really hits on their individual personalities. As expected, Swerve hides behind his humor, while Chromedome retreats within himself. The real standout though, is Tailgate. Easily one of my favorite characters in this series, I loved his perspective on the shocking events of last issue. Since he was out of commission for the entire 4 million year Autobot and Decepticon war he’s stunned at how he’s the only ‘bot freaked out by the pile of casualties from one battle. It really adds weight to an already somber story. This is one not to be missed.

Agustin Padilla doesn’t bring quite as much personality to the pencils as Nick Roche or Alex Milne, but to be fair he has to draw a lot of Transformers in this issue. He’s a new face in the Transformers universe for me, but if he sticks around for a few issues I won’t mind. Next month looks to be the start of something big, and I can’t wait.

Last week, Robots in Disguise volume 3 hit shelves. I...really don’t have much to say about this one. This trade opens up with a story revolving around Optimus Pri—sorry, Orion Pax, and it’s a jumbled and confusing mess of a story. This is compounded by one of my least favorite artists to grace a Transformers book: Livio Ramondelli.

Things pick up with the annual, which has some great flashback sections revolving around Nova Prime. These bits flesh out more of the IDW universe backstory, and the art is done in the old Marvel style from when the first comic was just starting off. I’d almost suggest this volume just for that, and if you wanted more information on the Metrotitans from More Than Meets the Eye vol. 3, this book has it.

Transformer Roll-Out: 'Robots in Disguise' #15 and 'More Than Meets the Eye' Vol. 3 Advance Reviews

Julian Titus is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's reviewing the latest books from IDW..

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #15: Plan for Everything

Cover for Transformers: Robots in Disguise #15, art by Andrew Griffith. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

It’s with great satisfaction that I can come to you this week and say that for the second month in a row, Robots in Disguise is worth reading. Not just worth reading, but kind of great. That’s high praise coming from a guy that only slogged through the previous 13 issues because I got to read them for free. It may come to light that - once this arc reaches its conclusion - things couldn’t go down any other way, and the lengthy buildup is integral to the story. But for now, I’m just stoked that things are finally happening in this book.

Let’s start with some good old fashioned Decepticon carnage, shall we? A large portion of this issue is told from the perspective of the new Devastator, who has merged for the kill. That’s far more interesting than it sounds, and it gives some great insight into the way combiners work in the current IDW Transformers universe. There’s plenty of action between Devastator and Superion (apparently the first and only Autobot combiner), including a final page that made my jaw drop.

Meanwhile, the uneasy peace between the Autobots, Decepticons, and Non-Aligned Indigenous Lifeforms (NAILS) leads to some shocking changes to character loyalties. Bumblebee and Megatron find that they can’t count on the ‘bots they thought they could, and Metalhawk finally has to take up arms.

I can’t stress enough how impactful that final page is, and I can’t wait to see what happens next month when Megatron’s push to take over peacetime Cybertron sees its conclusion.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Vol. 3

Cover art for Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Vol. 3 collected trade paperback. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

The Roll Out has only been around for about two months, but it should be pretty clear by now that I’m a big, big fan of More Than Meets the Eye. I put it right up there with Invincible and Ultimate Comics All-New Spider-Man as a book that I can’t wait to devour when I get a new issue or trade paperback. I’ll sing the praises of this book for as long as it continues delivering this much entertainment, and I totally think you should try it out, even if your knowledge of the Transformers is minimal.

Volume 3 is a great jumping on point for a variety of reasons. The MTMTE Annual that kicks off this collection not only reestablishes the reason for Hot Rod and the crew of the Lost Light to be gallivanting through space, but it hits that perfect blend of humor and drama I’ve come to expect from this comic. The annual also gives the first telling of the creationist origin of the Transformers, something that has only been hinted at in this incarnation of the story.

After that, you’re in for a treat with the three-part "Shadowplay" story. Simply put, this is an expertly woven tale told from multiple perspectives, as various members of the crew get together to talk about their lives before the war, and how they all came across a certain influential transformer by the name of Orion Pax. You may know him as Optimus Prime, though. Shadowplay is part gritty police procedural, part political drama, and part comedic farce. Do yourself a favor and pick up this trade!

(Transformers: Robots in Disguise #15 and Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Vol. 3 arrive in comic stores on Wednesday, March 26.)

Transformer Roll-Out: Blown Away by 'Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye' #15

Julian Titus is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's reviewing the latest issue of Transformers: Regeneration One...

To say that I was blown away with Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #15 would be an understatement. This comic book continues to surprise and impress me each and every month. In my review last month I talked about how the crew of the Lost Light remind me of the cast for a Joss Whedon show, and to be specific I was referencing Firefly. With this issue, that feeling is only cemented as powerful and impactful events are combined with the humor I’ve come to expect from this book.

Variant cover to Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #15, art by Nick Roche. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

It’s Overlord running amok this month, as the newly freed Decepticon Phase Sixer reminds us just how deadly he can be. I really loved how the story was told with disjointed chronology - replaying the scant few minutes of the Decepticon’s brutal attack from multiple perspectives simultaneously. After the super-serious mindgame between Chromedome and Overlord last issue, it was nice to check in with the rest of the crew, however briefly it might have been. The joke with Brainstorm and Swerve may be my new favorite thing to come out of More Than Meets the Eye so far.

That humor balances out what is probably the most emotional and shocking issue of the book so far. Even though the crew of the Lost Light has a common goal—finding the Knights of Cybertron—they are far from an effective battle unit, seemingly tossed together at random. That’s brought into perfect focus as they try hopelessly to battle Overlord, or at least contain the damage. Things will never be the same after this issue, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

(Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #15 hits stands on Wednesday, March 20.)

Transformer Roll-Out: 'More Than Meets the Eye' #14 and Bumblebee Goes Solo

Julian Titus is a writer for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's got an advance look at the latest issue of More Than Meets the Eye and an all-new Bumblebee solo special...

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #14

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye is one of the comic books I most look forward to each month. That’s in large part due to the snappy dialogue and quirky characters that seem like they’d be more at home in a Joss Whedon television show than a war between Autobot and Decepticon. Issue #14 takes things in a much more serious tone, especially after the madcap adventure the crew of the Lost Light went on last month.

Cover art to Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #14, art by Alex Milne. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

I’ll take the TV show analogy a little further and say that Overlord is to More Than Meets the Eye what the mysterious hatch was to the first season of Lost. Why would a notorious “Phase Sixer” (elite Decepticon warriors tasked with single-handedly subjugating entire planets) be doing imprisoned in the holds of an exploratory vessel?

A lot of those answers come via Chromedome, who utilizes his skills as a mnemosurgeon (literally interfacing directly with another ‘bot’s brain) to suss out the secret origins of Overlord. This is a uniquely interesting character study which is a huge change in tone for this book, and I really dug it. A lot of questions about Chromedome’s frustratingly checkered past are answered, but in their place a whole new set of questions are asked. Then there’s the ongoing conflict between Rewind and Chromedome, who has begged the mnemosurgeon to stop brain jacking, and the repercussions of this issue will surely reverberate in the arc to come.

It’s just about time for More Than Meets the Eye to get serious again. Things have been pretty laid back since the story arc with Ratchet and Pharma. While I’m looking forward to seeing where things go with Chromedome and Overlord, I’ll be happy when we get back to the crew kicking back at Swerve’s bar and making fun of Ultra Magnus.

Transformers Spotlight: Bumblebee

I really don’t understand what IDW is doing with the Transformers Spotlight books these days. When they kicked off they added a lot of depth to important (and not so important) characters in the current plotline. Lately, however, the spotlights have been random stories that occur at random moments in the IDW timeline. Such is the case with Transformers Spotlight: Bumblebee, a comic that I’m hard pressed to care about.

Variant cover for Transformers Spotlight: Bumblebee, art by Clayton Crain. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

That’s because it takes place so far back that the point of the story doesn’t even hold any weight. This is a tale that takes place back on Earth, not too long after Optimus nominated Bumblebee to lead the Autobots in his stead. I feel like we’ve already had multiple arcs that focus on “The ‘Bee” coming to grips with the mantle of leadership, as well as gaining respect from the tougher Autobots. Heck, that’s pretty much what the first 12 issues of Robots in Disguise have been about.

I don’t have much to say on this one. Bumblebee can’t get Prowl on the same page, and the Autobots tend to follow their security chief over their appointed leader. Bumblebee has a hunch that leads him face to face with an entire group of Decepticons. Oh, and this takes place after his assassination attempt, so he’s still walking around with that stupid cane. Poor art and a story that treads on now familiar ground make Transformers Spotlight: Bumblebee a book I would avoid unless you’re a completist.