Luke Owen looks at Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #17…
REMAIN IN LIGHT! MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE’s first full-blown epic moves into high gear as RODIMUS leads his crew to the gates of heaven—or hell. But larger forces are closing in and an ancient plan is reaching fruition—and as an old friend calls time on the AUTOBOTS’ quest, one thing becomes clear: the LEGISLATORS are on the march.
Trasformers: More Than Meets The Eye finally feels like its doing something after meandering along for the longest time and this issue in particular feels like it has accomplished something. I have been harsh on the series in the past (and quite rightly so) but I feel like it’s starting to pick up – this is the fist comic to get me excited for this series. It’s not Robots in Disguise or Rage of the Dinobots good, but it’s pretty exciting.
For starters, it feels like the crew of the Lost Light are actually going somewhere, in this case they are chasing the seemingly deceased Ultra Magnus through a portal to a Cybertron-like planet filled with organic life. In many ways Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #17 feels like a Star Trek episode but with more dramatic moments and probably worse dialogue.
Even though the story is better and has some genuine intrigue about it, James Roberts’s dialogue still isn’t all that great. Aside from the scene between Tailgate and Cyclonus, there really isn’t much to write home about. However said scene between Tailgate and Cyclonus is excellent as it taps into an emotional core that a lot of Transformers fans never really think about – the Transformers dying through old age and sickness. Not only is it pretty gripping but it also tugs at your heart strings as Tailgate is one of the few likeable characters in the series.
Most people will also know by now that I am not a fan of Alex Milne’s artwork for this series as it just looks unfinished. Granted it’s not helped by Josh Burcham’s colouring, but then it never is. And while it didn’t bother me as much in this issue as I was quite engrossed in the story, it still isn’t very good. Especially when you compare it to something like Transformers: Robots in Disguise #17 (read my review here) or Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots (read that review here). It all just looks… samey.
But for all my negativity, I am quietly excited about this new direction and I did enjoy Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #17. It’s far from perfect but it’s a lot better than the dross we’ve been given by this team in recent months.
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Month in Review show for Flickering Myth’s Podcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published May 30, 2013. Updated November 7, 2019.
