• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Comic Book Review – Optimus Prime #15

January 19, 2018 by Ricky Church

Ricky Church reviews Optimus Prime #15…

The big threat IDW has been building up in Optimus Prime and Transformers: Till All Are One has arrived as Onyx Prime comes to Cybertron with an apparently captured Liege Maximo in tow. Two of the biggest threats they’ve faced in the last year showing up at the same time is not a good thing and Optimus, Windblade and their allies have to prepare for a seemingly big showdown.

Optimus Prime #15 is mostly a lot of build up as well as catching readers up on some of the event of First Strike and the final issues of Till All Are One, such as Starscream’s incarceration and Windblade’s election as Cybertron’s new leader. It serves as the opening salvo to the new arc and the danger Onyx poses. This could have come off as some heavy exposition, but thankfully it doesn’t come across that way. The exposition feels organic and still introduces new things to the characters, building off some of the recent events. Optimus and Windblade’s relationship, for instance, is still very strained from his choices in First Strike, though there is little mention of those events. John Barber naturally plays off them without going too deep into explanations.

The biggest thing that is revealed is the Mistress of Flame’s past as she recounts first coming across Onyx Prime and some of the events that led to her becoming the Mistress. Its some eye opening information about a character who has largely remained a bit of a mystery since her introduction, coming across as a strict, almost zealous, religious figure. Here we learn more about why she is the way she is and how she views the contradictory nature of Optimus, Pyra Magna and some of the other Cybertronians.

There are also some heavy nods to the series continuity in this issue. Barber digs deep into some of his own history with IDW’s Transformers franchise, bringing back the Dark Cybertron prophecy by putting a new spin on it as well as reintroducing the Ore-13 Energon source that was a significant part of Dark Cybertron as well as the early stories of IDW’s time on the franchise. Between this and the character development Barber employs, Optimus Prime #15 is fairly beneficial to longtime readers without confusing any new ones.

Kei Zama’s artwork is fairly good in the issue. Her work has really improved on the title and its clear she’s become more comfortable with the character designs. Her use of dark shadows also really works in the issue as Onyx Prime comes to Cybertron, making him feel very imposing along with the eclipse he brings. Zama does well with each of the characters, creating nice fluid movements between the panels. Her art is helped by Josh Burcham’s colours, playing well off her dark shadows and making a lot of the images fairly vibrant when Onyx is on the page.

Optimus Prime #15 is a good introductory chapter to the new arc and the threat Onyx poses. After all the build up involving him, it will be interesting to see how this conflict plays out, but Barber and Zama leave a sense of excitement and intrigue with what they’ve done so far.

Rating: 8/10

Ricky Church

Filed Under: Comic Books, Reviews, Ricky Church Tagged With: IDW, John Barber, Kei Zama, Optimus Prime, Transformers

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Essential Revisionist Westerns of the 21st Century

Ten Essential Films of the 1940s

Ten Great Comeback Performances

Underrated 2000s Cult Classics You Need To See

15 Great Feel-Good Sing-a-Long Movies

Must-See Modern Horror Movies You Might Have Missed

Peeping Tom: A Voyeuristic Masterpiece of the Slasher Subgenre

The Essential One Man Army Action Movies

The Most Terrifying Movie Psychopaths of the 1990s

Ten Controversial Movies and the Drama Around Them

Top Stories:

18 Incredible 21st Century Films You May Have Missed

10 Great 1980s Sci-Fi Adventure Movies

Movie Review – Superman (2025)

Crazy Cult 80s Movies You May Have Missed

4K Ultra HD Review – Quatermass 2 (1957)

Movie Review – Sovereign (2025)

“Dexter In Space” – Michael C. Hall talks 20 years of Dexter and where the killer will go next

Movie Review – Abraham’s Boys (2025)

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

The Contemporary Queens of Action Cinema

Can Edgar Wright conquer America with The Running Man?

10 Great B-Movies of the VHS Era

American Psycho at 25: The Story Behind the Satirical Horror Classic

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket