Originally published December 15, 2016. Updated December 16, 2019.
Ricky Church reviews Transformers: Lost Light #1…
Five years ago, Rodimus and a collection of traumatised, lovelorn and/or sarcastic Autobots set off on a quest to find Cyberutopia. So far, they’ve made a right hash of it. They’ve misplaced their map. They’ve lost their ship, the Lost Light, to a mutinous escapologist. Oh, and they’re dead.
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of Transformers: Lost Light #1 here
In the wake of IDW’s mega-crossover Revolution, merging all their titles into one cohesive universe, the Transformers franchise has been given a bit of a soft relaunch. Whereas Transformers: Optimus Prime #1 follows the titular Autobot leader and acts as a good jumping on point for new readers, Transformers: Lost Light #1 leads pretty much directly off the end of Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye. While certain elements may be confusing for newcomers, Lost Light is still an enjoyable and fun read with a promising new adventure in the Transformers universe.
Lost Light #1 at least does a fairly decent recap of the prior series, quickly detailing how Hot Rod was mutinied against and left stranded on a planet while he and a reformed Megatron fought off some of the toughest Decepticons in the galaxy. It also sets up their newest problem really well; James Roberts has shown in his past Transformers stories that he’s no slouch and always plants the seeds for future stories. This is no different as he sets up future payoffs while capitalizing on past ones in this issue.
The characters, both old and new, really meld well together in the humourous and serious moments. The moments of levity that Roberts imbues, such as various transformers mocking Ultra Magnus’ stoic personality and his response to that, really highlights how great the interactions with the characters are. Roberts is also continuing his excellent handling of Megatron, delving into the former-Decepticon’s newfound philosophy and search for redemption.
The art is quite good as well, contrasting Optimus Prime’s more darker colours for much lighter fare. Jack Lawrence really makes each transformer feel animated in their movements and facial expressions. Each one is given a unique look as well, making it fairly easy to tell them apart in appearance. Both Joana Lafuente and John-Paul Bove compliment Lawrence’s art with their colours; Lafuente did the colouring for the issue’s opening while Bove took over for the rest, but the change is really seamless. Lost Light is definitely one of IDW’s most colourful and eye-popping books.
The only negative is that Lost Light really relies on having read most of More Than Meets The Eye to know who all the characters are and what kind of dynamics they have with each other. That and Roberts’ penchant for long-term plotting doesn’t necessarily make this issue the greatest jumping on point, but he still manages to sum up recent events fairly succinctly for new readers.
Transformers: Lost Light #1 is a fun read that introduces some interesting new characters and leaves off with an intriguing plot for Roberts and his team to explore. Megatron’s post-war characterization continues to be a highlight and, if this issue is any indication, the next arc will examine just what type of legacy he’s left behind for himself and if Cybertron really would be better off without him.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church
