Ricky Church reviews Transformers: Lost Light #4…
RODIMUS, MEGATRON and the exiled crew of the Lost Light realise that there’s only one thing they need to do before they can resume their quest. Unfortunately, that thing is “save the world.” Can the AUTOBOTS overcome the odds and save the day? To be honest, probably not.
Things on the alternate universe version of Cybertron get pretty tense as Rodimus, Megatron and the other displaced members of the Lost Light have to stop a devastating attack from the Functionalist Council on the civilians and the very planet itself.
Transformers: Lost Light #4 delivers some good moments that advance the plot while examining the character’s motivations and mindset in this current crisis. It presents a nice balance of character beats, action and story that merge pretty well together into a cohesive narrative.
James Roberts shows he still has a good handle on several of the characters, particularly Rodimus and Megatron’s new dynamic. Both characters get in an argument over what their priorities should be and it’s to Roberts’ credit that Rodimus and Megatron each have valid points. Rodumis seems more concerned with saving Rung and getting back to their normal universe rather than saving the inhabitants of this alternate one, something that would probably be a stark contrast to the Hot Rod of old. Rodimus’ desire for vengeance against his mutineers seems to have blinded him and the fact that its Megatron of all people who call him out on this is poetic irony.
The dynamic between Cyclonus and Whirl is also a good one and adds some levity to this issue. Whirl has always been a nice foil to the more serious characters that’s played to some great effect here during his brief team-up with Cyclonus. The both of them may barely tolerate each other, but its fun to see such a mismatched pair be forced to fight together, almost creating a good buddy-cop set-up. Roberts uses their frenemy status to also show Cyclouns’ vulnerabilities and just how much he’s changed over the course of the IDW continuity as well.
Jack Lawrence’s art is pretty animated, giving a lot of expression to the various bots and some good choreography in the action scenes. He also emphasizes a lot of body language, putting it to good use since so much of the issue is about the character’s bickering than it is about punching each other.
The only thing that could be better is the backgrounds; so many of the backgrounds in the first half of the issue are bland, just using a neutral dark or light colour. The backgrounds get better in the latter half as the transformers go deeper into Cybertron’s core or take place in something. The rest of the artwork, including Joana Lafuente’s colours, really give the issue a vibrant look that makes Lost Light’s visuals pop.
With a good combination of story, character development and action, Transformers: Lost Light #4 is an entertaining and fun read for fans. The lack of detail in some of the backgrounds is a minor quibble to how colourful and animated the rest of the artwork looks. Lost Light still remains one of IDW’s best titles right now.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church
Originally published April 1, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
